


Matters of Trust

by xtremeroswellian



Category: Roswell (TV 1999)
Genre: Anxiety, Attempted Sexual Assault, Depression, Dreamwalking, F/M, Families of Choice, Friendship, Healing, Hopeful Ending, Insomnia, Kidnapping, Miscommunication, Misogyny, Nightmares, No vivid descriptions of assault, Nothing after that happened, PTSD, Protective Alex Whitman, Protective Isabel Evans, Protective Kyle Valenti, Protective Maria DeLuca, Protective Max Evans, Protective Michael Guerin, References to the book series, Slurs, Spoilers up through "Blood Brothers", Victim Blaming, childhood sexual abuse (past), mentions of domestic violence, mentions of physical violence, secrets and lies
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-22
Updated: 2020-04-22
Packaged: 2021-03-01 18:20:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 11
Words: 28,596
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23791465
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xtremeroswellian/pseuds/xtremeroswellian
Summary: The teens struggle to trust one another when a dangerous secret from Liz's past threatens her safety.
Relationships: Alex Whitman/Isabel Evans, Liz Parker & Alex Whitman, Liz Parker & Isabel Evans, Liz Parker & Kyle Valenti, Liz Parker & Maria DeLuca, Liz Parker & Michael Guerin, Liz Parker/Max Evans, Maria DeLuca & Isabel Evans, Michael Guerin & Alex Whitman, Michael Guerin/Maria Deluca
Comments: 1
Kudos: 12





	1. Chapter 1

Liz woke up, gripped by terror, for the fourth night in a row. She forced herself to concentrate on breathing until she calmed down. Then she looked at the clock on her bedside table. 2:30 A.M. She sighed and pulled the covers to her chin. But the reason she was shaking had nothing to do with cold.

It was because every night for the past four nights, Liz had been haunted by ghosts of her past. Ghosts that she thought were long gone, but that were now once again making their presence known and interfering with her life.

Why now? she wondered. But no answer came to her, and neither did sleep.

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Liz rushed to her locker, knowing she was on the verge of being late to class. It hadn't been her fault. When she had gotten in her car that morning, the engine wouldn't start and she'd had to get her neighbor to jump start it.

Liz spun the combination on her locker and yanked on the lock. It didn't budge. She tried it twice more. The bell rang. "Damn!" she said, and kicked the locker in sheer frustration.

The lock popped open and Liz scowled at it for a moment. Then she flung open the door and grabbed her books for the first two class periods.

She all but ran to first period psychology.

"Nice of you to join us, Ms. Parker," Mrs. Hurst said.

Liz blushed and sat down in her chair next to her best friend, Maria DeLuca.

"You okay?" Maria mouthed, her eyebrows furrowed in concern.

Liz nodded quickly and took out her psychology text book and notebook. She settled into her chair and tried to pay attention to the lecture. She glanced around the room, and her gaze fell upon Max Evans, who was staring at her. He smiled shyly at her, and she returned the gesture with a quick, shy smile of her own. Then she looked down at her notebook and began doodling just to stay awake.

"Tomorrow and for the rest of this week, we'll have guest speakers to tell you about Roswell's new sexual assault clinic, about sexual assault, and how it effects the victims. I expect all of you to be on your best behavior, to listen and participate in discussions, and to be courteous to our guests," Mrs. Hurst said as the bell rang.

Liz slowly gathered her books and walked alongside Maria into the hallway. "So, what's going on? Cause, you're like never late to class," Maria said, studying her.

"Well, first, my car wouldn't start. Then my locker wouldn't open. And, to top it off, I got maybe, like 2 hours of sleep last night," Liz answered, yawning.

"You didn't stay up all night studying for the stupid geometry quiz we have today, did you?" Maria groaned. "Because it is so going to be a breeze, especially for you, Miss Valedictorian."

Liz couldn't help laugh. "Hardly. But I can dream."

"See you in history?"

"Yep," Liz agreed as she and Maria split up. She started towards her second period English class when Max fell into step with her. "Hey," she said, glancing at him.

"Hey. How's it going?" he asked.

"Okay."

"You study for that geometry quiz?"

"Yeah, until midnight, when I finally lost consciousness. You?"

"Yeah. Geometry's not my most favorite subject." He looked at her for a moment. "So, um...Liz, do you work Saturday night?"

"Yeah, but only until 7. Why?" she asked, trying not to get her hopes up that Max was asking her out.

"Well, I was just thinking...um, maybe we could, you know, go see a movie or something. If you want to," he added quickly.

She stopped and smiled at him. "Max, I'd love to," she said.

He grinned back and looked relieved. "Okay. Well, we'd better get to English."

"Yeah, I don't need two tardies in one day," she agreed.

They walked to English together and sat down side-by-side. Mrs. Bugg lead them in discussion about Shakespeare's "Hamlet." And as much as Liz loved the play, she had trouble staying awake.

Max looked over at her at one point. She had her head propped up in her hands, eyes closed.

Mrs. Bugg was facing the chalk board, writing something down. Max leaned over. "Liz," he whispered. He shook her gently and her eyes flew open.

She looked over at him, realized where she was, and blushed. "Thanks," she whispered. He nodded.

Liz tried to pay attention, but she was too tired to comprehend what was being discussed. It took all her energy just to keep her eyes open. The bell finally rang.

"Liz, can I please see you for a moment?" Mrs. Bugg asked.

She looked over at Max and he shrugged. "See you at lunch?" she asked. He nodded, and left the classroom. She went up to the desk.

"I have to say, I was surprised by your quiz grade from yesterday, Liz."

"I thought the quizzes hadn't been graded yet," Liz said in confusion.

"Well, just yours. I usually use your quiz as the answer key to the other students' quizzes. This time, however," Mrs. Bugg said, reaching into her desk and handing Liz a paper. "I was disappointed and shocked."

Liz stared in horror at the red "F" at the top of her quiz. She stood still, unable to speak.

"Liz, you're well on your way to being your class's valedictorian. If anything is bothering you, I hope you can get it straightened out quickly. I'd hate to see you fall behind."

Liz just nodded. Then she wandered out into the hallway in a daze. She had never gotten an F on anything before.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Liz managed to avoid the others until lunchtime. She stood in the lunch line for ten minutes before she finally got a tray. She was almost to the table when suddenly someone slammed into her and the tray flew from her hands, and Liz hit the ground with such a force the wind was knocked out of her.

"Liz! Are you okay?" Max asked, rushing to her side and kneeling next to her. She nodded, trying to catch her breath.

Maria glared at Paul, one of Kyle's friends, the one who had run into Liz. "Watch where you're going, you idiot!" she shouted.

Max helped Liz to her feet and she groaned as she realized her shirt was covered with splotches of spaghetti sauce and chocolate milk. Isabel and Michael glared at Paul, who was now engaged in a shouting match with Maria.

"Back off, you stupid little slut!" he yelled.

"All right, that's it!" Michael said angrily. He launched himself at Paul, sending both of them to the ground.

"Michael, no!" Isabel shouted as Michael brought his fist down on Paul's face.

Max grabbed Michael and pulled him off Paul. "Stop it, Michael," he commanded.

Michael glared at Paul, and then glanced over at Maria. "You okay?" he asked.

She nodded and scowled at Paul. "Stupid jerk," she muttered. She turned her attention to Liz. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah, Maria, I'm fine," she said, hoping no one noticed the slight tremor in her voice.

Max noticed, and he touched her arm and met her gaze. And she felt reassured and calm by this small gesture of kindness. She managed a smile for him.

Max turned to glare at Paul. "Get out of here now," he said evenly. Paul saw the look in his eyes and took off. Max looked at Liz. "Are you sure you're okay, Liz?" he asked quietly. "You're not hurt?"

"Just my pride," she answered, looking down at her stained clothing.

"I would help you, Liz, but too many people saw it happen," he said quietly so only she could hear.

Liz looked up at him. "I know you would if you could, Max," she said softly.

Max realized that he could help her without using his powers. He quickly unbuttoned his long-sleeved shirt. "Max, what are you--?" she started.

He looked deep into her eyes. "I have a t-shirt on under it." He shed the long-sleeved shirt and handed it to her. Their hands brushed as she took it from him.

She slipped the shirt on over her own and quickly buttoned it. "Thank you," she said.

He just nodded. "I think we're being stared at."

Liz looked over Max's shoulder to where Paul and several of his football friends were watching them. "Let 'em stare," she said defiantly, glaring at them. Then she raised an eyebrow. "Max?"

"Yeah?"

"How'd you know they were staring at us?"

"Third eye, remember?" he said, a trace of a smile on his lips.

Liz grinned and then slapped him playfully on the arm. "Let's get some lunch."

He nodded and they joined the others at the table. Michael sat across from Max, still glaring at the football guys.

"Michael, don't do anything stupid," Isabel warned, noticing the look on his face. She nudged Maria with her elbow.

"They're not worth it," Maria added, looking at Michael.

He met her gaze and looked into her blue eyes. He didn't say anything. Michael remained silent for the rest of lunch hour.

Max and Isabel exchanged a look as the bell rang. Maria caught it and stood up, hurrying after Michael. "Hey," she said as she fell into step with him.

He didn't respond as they continued walking. Finally he looked down at her. "Is there something you wanted?" he demanded.

The harsh tone of voice he used startled her. They had been getting along most of the time since he'd taken off with her and her car to Marathon, Texas. They had, well, bonded in that hotel room. Sure, they had their occasional disagreements and arguments, but for the most part, Maria had begun thinking of Michael as a friend. And the fact that he was sexy, and a great kisser didn't hurt Maria's wanting to be around him one bit.

Michael was staring at her impatiently.

"Nothing. Forget it," she said quietly. She turned around and walked away.

Michael suddenly felt guilty. "Maria, wait!" he called. He started to go after her, but lost track of her in the crowd. He sighed in disgust. "Great."

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Michael scanned the parking lot for Maria's car after school, but realized with disappointment that she had already left. "Great," he muttered again. Now he would have to walk all the way to the Crashdown.

Unless I can find a ride, he thought. And suddenly his gaze fell upon a figure getting into a car a couple aisles away. The thought of asking for a ride didn't thrill him, but it was better than walking. "Hey!" he called, jogging toward the car. "You headed to the Crashdown?" he asked.

Liz nodded. "I have to work."

"Can I hitch a ride?"

"Um...Yeah, sure," Liz answered uncomfortably. She unlocked the passenger side door and he climbed inside. She crossed her fingers that her car would start. It didn't. She turned the key again. "Come on, come on, come on," she chanted silently.

Then she sighed when she realized it wasn't working. "Wonderful," she muttered.

"You're not going to ask me if there's anything I can do?" Michael asked in a mocking voice.

"No thanks. I'd rather not have my car engine blown up," she answered, glaring out the window.

Michael had to refrain from saying something nasty to her, reminding himself that this was the girl his best friend was in love with, as well as Maria's best friend. Not that the latter meant anything. "So now what?" he asked in disgust.

"Now I have to find someone to jump-start my car." She climbed out of the car and looked around the parking lot which was nearly empty. Just then she spotted Kyle Valenti getting into his car. "Kyle!" she shouted.

He turned to look at her and she glanced back at Michael, who was scowling. Then she walked over to her ex-boyfriend. "Liz," Kyle said, his eyebrows raised.

"I need some help," she said, biting her lip.

"Is everything okay?" he asked, a touch of worry in his eyes.

"Yeah, it's just, my car won't start and I have to be at the Cafe in like, a half hour to work my shift. Can you jump-start my car?"

"Sure, Liz. No problem," Kyle agreed, smiling at her.

She smiled back. "Thanks, Kyle." She jogged back over to her car and popped the hood while Kyle drove his car over.

Michael was glaring at her. "That's great, Liz. Couldn't you find someone else to help?"

"Michael, do you see anyone else?" she asked sharply. She and Kyle may have their differences, but she knew he wasn't really a bad guy. She knew he cared for her and she felt bad for hurting him when he obviously still liked her.

Kyle got out of his car and started hooking up the cables. He glanced at Michael, then at Liz. "Is everything okay, Liz?" he asked quietly.

"Yeah, he's just--on his way to the Crashdown, too, so I'm giving him a ride." She watched as he hooked up the last cable to their cars.

Kyle nodded to her and she got in her car and turned the key as Kyle pushed on the gas peddle in his car. Her engine roared to life. Liz grinned and got back out of her car. Kyle unhooked the cables and slammed the hoods shut.

"Thanks, Kyle," she said sincerely.

"Anytime," he said, just as sincerely, looking into her eyes.

Liz swallowed hard. "I--I have to get to the Cafe."

He nodded. "See you around?"

"Yeah, I'll see you," she echoed. She got back in her car and fastened her seat belt. She didn't have to look at Michael to know he was pissed. She reached down and turned on the radio. Then she put her car in reverse.That was when she looked at the clock. "Oh, crap," she said. She stepped on the gas pedal. Michael turned his head to look at her.

"What?" she asked.

"Nothing." He looked out th window as they speeded down the highway.

They were only five miles from the Crashdown when Liz saw the flashing lights in her rearview mirror. She cringed and slowed the car to a stop. She fought the urge to cry as she leaned her head against the steering wheel. "Could this day possibly get any worse?"

"What's going on?" Michael asked, in a tone that clearly stated he didn't really care, he was just asking out of politeness.

"Well, you mean besides the whole lunch incident, the fact that my car is a piece of crap, I flunked an English quiz and I've only gotten a total of 10 hours sleep in four days because of nightmares?"

The voice of doubt whispered in Michael's ear. "Nightmares about what?" he asked, a hint of suspicion in his voice.

"Nothing," she replied quickly, too quickly, as she rolled down her window. The officer peered inside. "Do you have any idea how fast you were going?" he drawled.

"Uh...no. Not really," she said quietly.

"95 in a 65."

She winced. "Can I see your license and registration?"

"Yeah." She handed them to him. Micheal was studying her suspiciously.

The officer handed her back her license and registration. "Slow down before you end up dead."

Liz nodded. The officer walked back to his car. Liz glanced at the clock. "God, I am going to be so late! My parents are going to kill me!"

She tapped the steering wheel impatiently, waiting for the officer to go around. "Damn, damn, damn," she muttered.

Michael stared at her. When the cop had passed, Liz gritted her teeth and drove as fast as she legally could to the Crashdown.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Michael sat down in a corner booth, watching Maria. He caught her arm as she walked by the table. "Can we talk?"

"I'm working right now," she informed him.

He looked deeply into her eyes. "Please."

She blinked in surprise. "Can it wait until I'm done with my shift?"

"What time is that?"

"An hour."

Micheal nodded. "I'll wait." He sat back down and watched as she passed by. Then his gaze drifted to Liz, who was rushing nervously to bring customers their orders. He narrowed his eyes. He had a bad feeling that something bad was about to happen. Something that would involve all of them. And it was going to be because of Liz Parker.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Maria slid into the booth across from Michael as she took off her apron. "So, what's going on?"

Michael blinked in surprise. He had been watching Liz all evening. Something about the way she was acting really bothered him. The feeling that something bad was going to happen had increased during the past hour. He had to find out what it was before it was too late. "Uh--I just, you know, wanted to apologize for before. You know, for being rude." His gaze drifted back to Liz again, who was trying furiously to clean up a glass of spilled milk.

"Michael Guerin apologizing? I don't believe this."

"Maria, is something bothering Liz?" he asked. He hadn't heard her comment.

Maria turned to look. "I think she's having a bad day. Why, is something wrong?"

"I don't know. Hey, I'll see you at school, tomorrow, okay?" he said, standing up abruptly. Michael didn't realize it, but Maria was staring after him as he walked out. He was going to find out what was going on with Liz even if Max killed him for it.


	2. Chapter 2

Liz collapsed on her bed that night. God, I'm tired, she thought. She'd had to work until close and now she was too exhausted to even contemplate doing any homework. She wanted to write in her journal; wanted to record the events of the day, but mostly she just wanted to write about how stressed out she was starting to feel.

Then she remembered the one highlight of her day. Max had asked her out to the movies on Saturday night. Unfortunately, it was only Monday night. Liz sighed and blinked back involuntary tears. Then she crawled under the covers and fell asleep.

And Liz dreamed...

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Michael touched the picture of Liz Parker that was in his yearbook. Then he closed his eyes and listened for the dream orb.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_Michael was walking down the hallway, following the sounds of muffled voices. Why is she dreaming about the band room? he wondered._

_He looked in the window on the door, and he could see Liz and Max having a conversation. He turned the door knob and stepped inside the room, hanging back in the shadows, observing._

_"This is where you told me the truth about who you were," Liz was saying softly._

_Max touched her face gently. "That was the smartest thing I ever did."_

_Suddenly, tears filled her eyes._

_"Liz, what is it?" Max asked in concern, drawing her into his arms._

_"I want to tell you, Max, I do, but--"_

_"So go ahead and tell him, Lizzie," another voice said._

_Michael looked up to see who had spoken. An older man, probably in his forties, walked towards Liz and her dream image of Max. Liz froze at the sound of his voice._

_"Liz, who is that?" Max asked quietly, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion._

_"My Uncle Charlie," she answered, voice filled with dread. She turned to face the man, who was standing less than five feet from her. "What are you doing here?"_

_"I came here to tell you that you're not good enough for Max here," Uncle Charlie said, motioning to Max. "To tell him that you're a little slut."_

_"Don't talk to her that way," Max snapped, eyes blazing with anger. "I don't care WHO you are."  
Uncle Charlie held up his hands. "I didn't come to insult you, Mr. Evans. I came here to tell you the truth about this girl that you think so highly of."_

_"How do you know my name? And what are you talking about?" Max demanded._

_"I know your name because I'm Liz's uncle." He smiled and looked at Liz. "And I'm talking about the fact that little Lizzie here isn't the angel that she seems."_

_"Uncle Charlie, go away," Liz whispered._

_"I'll never go away, Lizzie," he whispered back. "But you're right. I shouldn't have to tell him. You should. Go ahead, Lizzie. Tell him."_

_Liz's eyes widened with fear. "Uncle Charlie, please just leave now."_

_"You heard her. Get out of here," Max said, glaring at him._

_"Tell him, Lizzie," he pressed. "Tell him about how you've been a little whore since you were six years old."_

_Max broke his gaze from the man's face to stare at Liz. "What's he talking about, Liz?"_

_"Tell him, Liz. Tell him how I used to fuck you every night."_

_Liz's tears spilled over. "Max-"_

_Max backed away from her. "Is that true, Liz?"_

_She put her head in her hands and started crying. "Max," she whispered._

_"Obviously you're not who I thought you were, Liz," Max said harshly. "Stay away from me. I never want to see you again. I wish I had never saved you!"_

_"Max, no, please don't say that," she begged, grabbing his arm._

_He yanked it away from her. "Get off me, you slut!"_

_Liz collapsed onto the floor sobbing as Michael watched in shock. Liz suddenly looked over at him. "Michael?"_

_His eyes widened and he swallowed hard. "Yeah."_

_"What are you doing here?"_

_"You're dreaming, Liz. I'm not really here. You're just dreaming."_

_She stared at him and rose to her feet. "No, this is different. You ARE here!"_

_"Shit," he muttered. He quickly guided himself out of the dream orb._ He sat up in bed, and flipped on the bedside lamp. And for the first time in his entire life, Michael Guerin was so horrified, he couldn't even think straight.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Liz sat up in bed, fear shooting through her. Oh, God. Michael knows. Oh, my God. Oh, my God. What do I do? What if he tells someone? I can't let that happen. No one can know. I have to stop him from telling anyone. Oh, God, please, don't let him tell Max. Please.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Michael spotted Liz when he rounded the corner on his way to first period. "Shit," he muttered.

"Michael!" she shouted. He watched her push her way through the crowd. And she did not look happy. Then she stood directly in front of him. "We have to talk."

He looked away. "Liz-"

"Now," she added, her voice full of anger.

He nodded. "Fine." He followed her to the nearest empty classroom. She closed the door behind them and whirled around to face him.

"Who the hell do you think you are?" she demanded, her eyes flashing. "How dare you go into my dreams!"

"I don't know what-"

"Cut the crap, Michael! I know you guys can go into people's dreams. Isabel told me all about it! What I want to know is why you went into my dream last night!"

Michael looked away. "I don't know."

"You must have had some reason. Look, I know that you hate me, and that's fine. But what I dream about is none of your business and I want to know why you did it!"

Michael swallowed hard, refusing to meet her eyes. "I thought...you were acting really weird yesterday and I had to make sure you weren't going to crack."

Liz stared at him. "You thought I was going to turn you guys in?" she said in disbelief.

He didn't answer.

"Michael, Max saved my life! If it weren't for him, I would be dead right now! No way would I turn you guys over to Sheriff Valenti or anyone else, for that matter!"

"Yeah, I know that."

"But you don't trust me, do you, Michael? That's the bottom line."

"Liz, I barely know you. Why the hell would I trust you?" he demanded, finally meeting her eyes.

She laughed bitterly. "Funny that you should say that, Michael, since you now know more about me than anyone else."

He looked away again. "I didn't mean to..." his voice trailed off.

"Yeah, well, you did." She looked at the floor.

Michael lifted his gaze to her face. The anger had mostly disappeared, and now she looked...vulnerable.

"Michael, you can't tell anyone what you saw in my dream last night."

"That wasn't just a dream, was it?" Michael was pretty sure it wasn't, but he had to know for sure.  
"No."

There was a moment of silence. "Are you--okay?" he asked.

"It was a long time ago."

Michael hesitated. What am I supposed to say to her? He didn't know, but he felt like he should say something. "Does Maria know?"

Liz looked up at him, fear in her wide brown eyes. "No, Michael. I haven't told anyone. And you can't, either."

"Look, Liz, I don't think that I can help you...I mean, I don't know anything about this kind of stuff...I just know that sooner or later you're going to need someone to talk to and--"

"Michael, promise me you won't say anything. Not to Maria, not to Isabel, not even to Max. Especially not to Max," she pleaded.

"Liz, what are you so afraid of? Whatever happened -- whatever your uncle did to you-- it wasn't your fault. No one's going to blame you or whatever."

"Michael, this is very personal."

"And Max telling you about us wasn't?" he asked, his voice harsher than he'd wanted it to be.

"Max chose to tell me, Michael. You went into my dream and found something out about my life that I never intended to tell anyone!"

"What? You don't trust Max enough to tell him? He trusted you."

Liz winced and Michael felt guilty. "What happened to me--it has nothing to do with Max, or Isabel, or Maria, or you, Michael. It doesn't affect your lives in any way. You're not in danger because of it. Max saved my life. He told me the truth because he had to to save you guys. That was different. No one needs to know this."

Michael knew she was partially right. "Liz, I can guarantee that if you told Max what happened  
he would not act like you dreamed."

Liz's eyes filled with tears. "Michael, please. Promise me you won't tell Max. This has nothing to do with him, or you. No one's going to be hurt by me not telling."

"What about you, Liz? You're going to be hurt. You already are," he said quietly.

"Michael, please. If you care about me or Maria even a little, promise me you won't tell."

Michael's stomach turned and he closed his eyes briefly. "All right. I promise."

"Thank you. That's all I ask." She looked at him and he nodded. But Michael Guerin felt sick to his stomach for the first time ever. He watched her go, wondering if what he had just done was a horrendous crime all in itself.


	3. Chapter 3

Isabel sat down at their regular table outside. "Michael, are you all right?"

He looked up at her. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just tired."

Isabel raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything. She looked up and saw Maria and waved her over.

Michael turned to look. "Guess we have two permanent new lunch mates," he commented.

"Didn't seem to bother you yesterday," Isabel pointed out. "Besides. They hold the keys to our lives in their hands. It doesn't kill us to eat with them once in awhile. And it makes Max happy," she added, smiling as Maria walked up and sat down across from Michael.

They were joined by Liz and Max shortly. The table was unusually quiet during lunch. Isabel looked around. "So, did everyone study for that history test?"

"Man, I am so going to fail that," Maria groaned, taking a bite of strawberry pie.

"Do you want to study tonight? Maybe I can help," Isabel offered. Michael and Max stared at her, but she ignored them.

Maria looked at her in surprise. "Well, I work until 7. Is that okay?" Maria asked.

"Yeah, that's fine. Just come on over."

"Great," Maria said, smiling.

Isabel smiled back at her and then looked at Liz, who was concentrating very hard on eating her salad. "Liz, do you want to come over?"

"Um, what?" Liz asked, looking up at her.

"To study. For history. Do you want to come over?"

"Sure. Okay," she said, only partially comprehending what she'd just agreed to.

Isabel studied her. "Liz, are you okay? You're being awfully quiet."

"I'm fine. Just tired," she responded, gazing back down at her salad.

Isabel glanced over at Michael, who was staring at the table, and then she looked back at Liz. What's going on here? She wondered. She didn't have to be an alien to sense that something was wrong.

She looked at Max, who was staring worriedly at Liz, and then she glanced at Maria, who was frowning. Maria met her eyes, and they held a silent conversation.

"Hey, Michael," Isabel said suddenly. "Could you come with me to the jeep? There's something I want you to take a look at."

He looked up in surprise. "What?"

She lowered her voice. "It's private."

Michael raised an eyebrow but followed her as she stood up and walked across the lawn to the parking lot. "What's up?" she asked him.

"What do you mean?"

"You're being very un-Michael-like. You didn't even harass Maria once during lunch. What's going on?"

Michael shifted uncomfortably. "Nothing. I'm just tired."

"No, there's something else. I can feel it. Something to do with Liz Parker. You missed first period psychology this morning. And she was late to class for the second day in a row. So now really, what's going on?"

"Nothing's going on. I just skipped psych, okay? Not a big deal."

Isabel shook her head. "No, you know what's wrong with Liz. I can tell. What I don't understand is why she would tell you if something was wrong, instead of telling Maria, or Max, or Alex."

Michael looked away. "She didn't exactly tell me."

Isabel stared at him. "You went into her dream?" she said in shock. "Why?"

"Because Liz has been acting really weird lately, in case you hadn't noticed. I was afraid she was about to crack."

"And?" she questioned.

"She wasn't. And you can't tell Max what I did."

Isabel snorted. "Thanks, but I do kind of prefer you alive, Michael." She straightened. "So, what did you see?"

"Nothing," he answered quickly.

"I don't believe you," she said flatly.

"I didn't see anything," he insisted.

"You're lying. I always know when you're lying. You saw something and I want to know what it was."

"Isabel, back off, all right?"

"No! No, I won't back off. I want to know what's so important that's making Liz a nervous wreck and that's making you this way. I want to know, Michael, and you're going to tell me."

"Isabel, I promised, okay?"

"Since when do you make promises to humans?"

"Since I shouldn't have walked into her dream to begin with."

"What? Was it some kinky dream about Max? Kyle?"

"Hardly."

"Then what?" Isabel demanded.

"Look, Izzy. It's none of our business. It has nothing to do with us. Just let it go."

"Fine. I'll let it go. For now. But keep something in mind, Michael. Keep in mind the fact that Liz is a basket case and you're the only one who knows why. And then ask yourself if you're prepared to deal with whatever it is. Can you honestly answer yes?"

Michael glanced over to where Maria and Liz were walking back into the school. "I hope so."

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Liz, is everything okay?"

"Yeah."

"Are you sure? Because you seem…distant. Did something happen between you and Max?" Maria asked as she spun the combination to her locker.

"No, I'm just really tired, you know? Stressed out because of mid-terms, and stuff."

"Are you sure? Because if there's like, something else, you can tell me."

"I know." Liz smiled at her, but Maria knew it was fake. "I have to get to bio."

"See ya." Maria watched her leave. Something was definitely not right.

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Max was staring at her again. It was hard not to. She was so beautiful she was nearly mesmerizing. He wanted to thread his fingers through her silky dark hair and pull her close, and lose himself in her eyes. Instead, he blinked and tried to focus on the experiment they were supposed to be doing. He was quickly distracted by the look on her face.

"Liz?" he said, sweeping a strand of stray hair behind her ear. She jumped and he quickly pulled his hand away. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to-"

"No, Max, it's okay. I'm just stressed. You know, with midterms and everything. I just failed that English quiz and I'm so lost in there right now, and I'm not sleeping well…" her voice trailed off.

He was startled by the tone of distress in her voice. "Well, if you want to cancel Saturday to catch up on sleep, we can do it some other time," he offered.

"Max, no! Saturday's the only thing that's keeping me going right now," she blurted out. Then she realized how that sounded. "I don't want to cancel," she added shyly, looking away.

Max touched her arm gently. "I'm glad."

She smiled at him.

"Why don't we get together tomorrow to go over the English material?" he suggested. "I mean, since we're studying for history tonight and everything."

"Right. Yeah, that's fine," she agreed.

Max studied her. "Liz, is there anything else? I mean, if there's something you need to talk about, I hope you know you can trust me."

Liz looked up at him and he gazed intently into her beautiful brown eyes. He saw a flash of either pain or fear, but he wasn't sure which. "I know that, Max," she answered softly. She went back to the experiment. Max watched her for a long moment. Something was wrong. He just couldn't figure out what it was.

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"Let's clean up," Liz suggested to Maria as she glanced at her watch. "Max said he'd pick us up at 7. We have ten minutes until the end of our shift."

Maria nodded in agreement. "I'll start out here. Why don't you go ahead and change?"

"Thanks, Maria. You're the best!" Liz said, grinning at her.

Maria smiled back. "Now go before I change my mind. And bring me a glass of lemonade when you come back!" she called after her.

Liz waved as she went into the back.

Maria grabbed a rag and began wiping off the counter. The door opened and a man Maria had never seen before walked in. She shuddered as the man walked up to her. Please don't be another FBI agent, Maria thought. "Can I help you?"

"Yeah, are Mr. or Mrs. Parker around?"

Maria eyed him suspiciously. "They don't work evenings."

"What about Liz Parker?"

"I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to ask who you are," Maria said, staring at him, sizing him up. She didn't like him at all.

"I'm Charlie Parker. I'm Liz's uncle."

Maria blinked in surprise. "Her uncle?" she repeated.

"Yes, is she here?" he asked, looking annoyed.

"Um, yeah. Hold on. She's in back." Maria turned around and opened the door. "Liz!" she called.

"Yeah?"

"You have a guest!" Maria said.

"Just a sec!"

Maria stepped back out front. The man was looking around the café, facing away from her. Liz opened the door and looked at Maria, who motioned to the man still faced away from them. The glass of lemonade Liz was carrying slipped out of her hand and shattered on the floor.

"Liz!" Maria gasped. She grabbed the rag off the counter.

"Hello, Lizzie," Uncle Charlie said, smiling at her.

Liz swallowed hard. "Hello." Her face drained of all color.

"Liz, are you okay? You look like you're about to pass out," Maria said worriedly.

"Go get my parents," Liz said softly, taking the rag from her. Liz knelt down to clean up the mess as Maria hurried to the back. Liz saw her uncle walk around behind the counter til he was only a couple feet from her.

Please, Max, get here soon, she prayed.

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Max was only a mile from the Crashdown when an image of Liz flashed through his mind at the same time a jolt of adrenaline raced through him. Liz is in trouble, he thought. Max tightened his grip on the steering wheel and stepped on the gas peddle. I'm coming, Liz, he thought. Just hold on.

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"How are you, Lizzie?" Charlie asked, squatting down a foot away from her. He touched her arm.

She yanked her arm away. "I'm fine." She hurriedly wiped up the lemonade and glass fragments. Charlie touched her hair lightly and Liz shuddered. Please hurry, Max, she thought again.

As if he could hear her thoughts, Max hurried inside the Crashdown. "Liz!" he called, a touch of fear in his voice.

Liz leapt to her feet and tripped as she tried to get past her uncle, and she fell right into Max's arms. He instinctively drew her closer to him. "Are you okay?" he asked, searching her eyes in worry. He resisted the urge to kiss her out of relief as she nodded her head.

Max looked past her, to the man kneeling on the floor.

"Who's your friend, Lizzie?" Charlie asked, standing up. He stared at Max.

Max stared back. He hated him on sight.

"Max, this is Charlie Parker. My uncle. This is my friend Max," Liz said, hoping to God her voice didn't sound as strained as she thought it did.

Charlie stuck out his hand and Max shook it. He tried to feel guilty for the wave of hatred that washed over him; this guy was Liz's uncle, after all, and he had just met the guy. But Max couldn't feel guilty. The feeling of hatred towards the man remained. He couldn't put his finger on what it was exactly, but Max really hated him.

Just then, he realized how close Liz was standing to him, and he only realized it then because he felt her tremble. Max tore his eyes from Charlie's stare, and gazed at Liz. He touched her arm gently and searched her eyes. To most people, it would seem like she was okay, but not to Max.

Max knew her-probably better than anyone with the exception of Maria. He had watched her from a distance since the third grade. He knew when she was happy, sad, afraid, angry. And the look in Liz Parker's eyes right then told Max she was very, very afraid of something.

"Are you ready to go?" he asked quietly.

She nodded. "As soon as Maria comes back."

"Go where?" another voice asked. Liz and Max turned toward the voice.

Mr. Parker hugged his brother and grinned.

"Maria and I are going to Max and Isabel's to study for history," Liz answered, trying hard not to cry. Seeing her dad and her uncle smiling together ripped her heart into shreds.

"I was hoping we could spend some time together, Lizzie," Charlie said, frowning.

"It's a really big test," Liz responded.

Max felt her tremble again and he looked over at Maria, wondering if she noticed how upset Liz was. Maria was frowning.

"Well, I'll be in town at the Motel 8 for the next two weeks, so maybe we'll get to visit and get all caught up," he said smiling.

"Motel 8? Forget it, you're staying with us," her dad said.

"I don't want to impose," Charlie said, shaking his head.

"Impose? Hardly. It's not very often my favorite brother-in-law comes to town. I insist you stay with us," Liz's mother said, smiling.

"How can I resist that?" He asked, hugging her. He turned to Liz. "You hear that, Lizzie? Guess we'll be seeing a lot of each other after all. I missed my special niece."

Liz wished she could disappear. "Great," she said softly.

Max touched her arm. "We should go. Izzy's waiting."

She nodded. "Maria, are you ready?"

"Yeah." Maria headed to the door.

"Be home by 10:30, Liz. We wouldn't want you to wake up your uncle Charlie coming in late," her mother called.

Liz suppressed a shudder and agreed. She was the first one out the door. Max caught up with her and held open the jeep door for her and Maria. He walked around to the driver's side door, got in, and started the jeep. He looked over at Liz.

Liz stared straight ahead, pressing her back firmly against the seat so no one could see how badly she was shaking. She couldn't look at Max, but she knew he was watching her. After a moment, Max shifted the car into overdrive and Liz gazed out the window, up at the stars and forced herself to blink back tears.

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All through the study session, Max found himself staring at Liz. Isabel exchanged a look with Maria. She knew Maria sensed something was wrong with Liz, too.

Liz, however, ignored the looks. She knew they were all watching her; she knew they were concerned. But she would not tell them what was wrong. She may have lost Alex's friendship because of a secret, but she wouldn't lose the rest of her friends because of the truth.

"Liz," Max said sometime later. She looked up. "It's 10:15. I should take you home."

Liz swallowed hard and slowly gathered her books and stood up.

"Liz, I'll see you before first hour tomorrow, right?" Maria asked, the worry she felt evident in her voice.

"Yeah. Tomorrow," Liz echoed. Right now all that mattered was making it through the night. She followed Max to the jeep and once again he held open the door for her. Would he hold the door for me if he knew the truth? She wondered, climbing inside.

Max climbed in the driver's seat and started the engine, glancing at Liz. She wouldn't look at him. He had a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach. He drove back to Liz's family's apartment in silence and parked just outside the Crashdown. Liz sat motionless.

"Liz," he said gently. He touched her arm and she jumped. He immediately pulled away from her.

Liz tried to get the courage to get out of the jeep, but she knew once she did, once she left the safety of Max's presence, she was going to remember in vivid detail the childhood moments she had spent cowering under her covers, praying that morning would arrive and that she could go to school and be safe again.

"Liz, are you all right?" he asked quietly.

She felt like she was going to fall apart. She ached to tell him the truth, part of her knowing that he would protect her, but the other part of her terrified that he would recoil in disgust.

"Max," she said softly, refusing to look at him.

"Yeah?"

"Can you-" she took a deep breath, hoping she wasn't about to overstep any boundaries or sound like a complete idiot. "-can you just hold me for a minute?" she whispered, her voice barely audible.

Max heard the slight tremor in her voice and he could tell she was fighting to hold back tears. Wordlessly he shifted and gathered her in his arms, cradling her small figure against his own. He held her as if she were a child, stroking her hair gently.

Liz felt so safe in Max' s arms, she didn't want to move. She buried her face in his shoulder, holding onto him for dear life.

"Liz, please tell me what's wrong," he whispered, threading his fingers through her hair.

She shook her head against his shoulder. "Please don't ask questions, Max," she said softly. It took every ounce of strength she had not to cry as she pulled away from him.

Max unexpectedly pulled her back into his arms, holding her tighter than before. "If you need me, you know where I am. Whenever you're ready, Liz, I'm here for you," he whispered fiercely.

Tears sprung to her eyes. She nodded and grabbed her bookbag, jumping out of the jeep. She turned to look at him as her tears spilled over. Then she ran around to the back of the building.

Max watched her go, barely able to restrain himself from going after her and making her tell him what was wrong. But he knew that wasn't the way to handle this. He swallowed hard and restarted the jeep, driving away. He glanced in the rear view mirror, wondering what hell he had just delivered Liz to the hands of to deal with alone.


	4. Chapter 4

Isabel was NOT in a good mood. She had stayed up all night, listening for the sounds of Liz's dream orb, but she never heard it.

Because, she realized when she Liz in the hallway that morning, Liz never went to sleep.

She looked like hell. And Liz Parker--well, she never looked that bad. Even Isabel had to admit Liz was beautiful. She was always in perfect order--not a strand of hair out of place, not a wrinkle in her clothes. She didn't know how the girl managed it; after all, Liz wasn't even an alien.

But today, Liz was wearing a wrinkled, long-sleeved flannel, button-down shirt and baggy jeans. Her hair was pulled into a loose ponytail and there were dark circles under her eyes that she had not succeeded in covering up with makeup.

"Liz," Isabel said as she passed her on the way to first period. But Liz didn't hear her. She just kept walking, staring straight ahead of her.

Isabel stopped in the middle of the hallway when she saw Maria coming towards her. "Maria!"

Maria waved at her and hurried over. "Hey, Isabel. Ready for that history test?"

"Forget that. What's going on with Liz?" she asked sharply.

Maria sighed. "So I'm not the only one who's noticed. Thank God. I have no idea, she like, won't talk to me."

"What about Alex? Would she talk to him?" Isabel asked suddenly, spotting him down the hallway.

Maria snorted. "Are you kidding? Alex won't even speak to us."

"But would she trust him enough to tell him what's going on with her?" Isabel pressed.

Maria shifted her bookbag to her other shoulder. "I don't know. Maybe. But Liz tells me everything, Isabel. If she was going to tell anyone, it would definitely be me."

Isabel stopped herself from pointing out to Maria that if the problem had to do with Maria, Liz wouldn't tell her. Instead, she just nodded. "Let's get to psychology."

Maria nodded and headed towards class. Isabel glanced back to where Alex was standing at his locker. He was watching her. She turned and walked over to him. He stared at her in shock.

"Meet me in the eraser room after lunch," she said quietly. "I need to talk to you."

He nodded silently, and she could feel him staring at her as she walked into psychology.

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Alex looked at his watch again, wondering if Isabel had stood him up. Why does she want to talk to me? he wondered.

Just then, the door opened and Isabel Evans walked inside the eraser room. Their eyes met and she closed and locked the door behind her.

Alex swallowed hard. "So, uh, Isabel, what's going on?"

"I'm worried about a friend of yours."

He looked at her suspiciously. "Who?"

"Liz. I think you should talk to her, Alex."

Alex shook his head in disgust. "Forget it. Liz doesn't tell me anything anymore, and for your information, as long as she's hanging out with you and Max and Michael, I don't want any part of her. As far as I'm concerned, the three of you are responsible for turning her and Maria into complete strangers."

Isabel felt a stab of pain in her heart at the harsh words. "Alex, whether or not you and Liz are getting along right now doesn't matter. I know you still care about her. And she's in trouble, Alex. She needs you. Talk to her."

"If Liz wants my help, she'll come to me. I'm tired of being the boy toy here," he said cooly, remembering Kyle's statement not so long ago. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have class."

And with that, Alex walked by her, unlocked, and flung open the door and left Isabel to stare after him for once.

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Alex found himself watching Liz in their sixth hour gym class that afternoon. He had to admit, she didn't look too good. She was much paler than usual and all of Alex's friendship sensors were sounding in his brain.

Maybe she really is into drugs, he thought. He pushed the thought from his mind. She has new friends to take care of her now. She doens't need me anymore.

Alex forced himself to focus on the game of volleyball he was playing. "Got it!" he called as he slammed the ball over the net, earning his team another point.

"All right, Whitman!" one of the guys on his team said, clapping him on the back. Alex grinned.

Suddenly a girl on the other team shrieked and Alex looked over. His heart jumped into his throat as he saw Liz lying on the floor, unconscious.

He raced under the net and kneeled down next to her, pressing his fingers against her throat. "Thank God!" he said as he located her slow but steady pulse. "Liz!"

The gym teacher rushed over and dropped down on Liz's other side. "Is she breathing?" he demanded.

"Yeah, her pulse is steady," Alex said, staring down at her. "Liz, wake up! Please, Liz, wake up!" he said softly, touching her cheek.

Her eyes fluttered open. "Alex," she whispered weakly.

"Yeah, I'm right here," he said. He felt her forehead. "No fever."

"Can you sit up?" the teacher asked, looking at her with more annoyance than concern.

"I think so." Liz struggled to sit up.

"Let's head to the nurse's office," Alex said, helping her to her feet.

"Good idea, Whitman," the teacher said.

Alex nodded and lead Liz to the hallway. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah, Alex, I'm okay." She looked up at him and saw the worry in his eyes. "I don't need to go to the nurse's office. Can we just sit down a minute?" she asked, fighting another wave of dizziness.

He helped her into an empty classroom and she sat down at a desk. He watched her carefully. "Liz, what's going on?"

"I'm just--really tired, Alex. I haven't been sleeping well."

He sat down in the desk next to her. "Why not?"

"Nightmares," she answered softly.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

Liz looked over at him, an immense wave of guilt hitting her. She burst into tears. Alex immediately left his seat and wrapped his friend in his arms. "Shh. Liz, it's okay. Whatever it is, we'll get through it," he whispered.

She sobbed onto his shoulder. "Alex, everything's so messed up. I'm so afraid."

Alex stroked her hair gently. "Afraid of what, Liz?"

"Everything."

Alex pulled away, searching her eyes. He was almost afraid. Never in five years of being her friend had Alex ever seen Liz this distressed. "Talk to me, Liz. Let me help you," he said softly.

"I'm so afraid you're going to hate me, Alex. I don't want to lose you," she whispered.

Alex brushed her tears away gently. "Liz, I've been upset with you. I don't hate you. I couldn't hate you. I just want us to be friends again. I want you to tell me what's going on. I want you to know that you can always trust me, Liz. No matter what, there's nothing you can't tell me."

"Promise?" Liz whispered.

"I promise," he said.

"Can we get out of here? Can we go over to your house?"

"Yeah, sure. Let's get out of here." Alex helped her to her feet and wrapped his arm around her waist as they walked down the hallway. He saw Maria out of the corner of his eyes, but he ignored her. He escorted Liz out to his car. When he got in the driver's seat, he saw Maria running out into the parking lot after them. He started the car, and his eyes locked with Maria's for a moment.

Then he drove away.

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Alex's thoughts swirled as he drove to the UFO museum.

Liz had all but collapsed on his bed when they arrived at his house. He insisted that she take a nap, and that they could talk when she woke up.

Right now, Alex thought, I have to keep my mind on what I'm doing.

He parked his car outside the museum, and walked inside. He spotted the person he wanted to talk to almost immediately. He walked over and tapped him on the shoulder.

Max turned around, looking at him in surprise. "Alex. What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to give you a warning," Alex said tensely, his hands curling into fists. "I don't know what you and your sister and Michael have done to Liz, but if you ever do anything to hurt her again, I will kill you myself."

Max stared at him. "What?"

"Liz passed out in gym today. She said she's been having nightmares. I've never seen her that upset before, and I never want to see her like that again. And the way I have it figured, whatever it is that's bothering her has to do with you three," he said angrily.

"Wait, Liz passed out? Is she all right? What happened?" Max asked in alarm, his eyes full of worry.

Alex stared at him. That was definitely not the reaction he'd been expecting. "She's sleeping right now. I came here to warn you to stay away from her. I'm going to find out what you've got Liz hooked on, and I'm going to find a way to prove it. And when I do, I'm going to turn the three of you in to Sheriff Valenti."

Max stared at him, finally realizing what he was talking about. "Alex, I would never do anything to hurt Liz," he said quietly.

Alex glared at him. "Yeah, well, in case you hadn't heard, Max, drugs hurt people."

"This isn't about drugs."

"Then what is this about, Max?" Alex demanded. "Because I'm sick and tired of not knowing what the hell is going on with my friends."

Max took a deep breath. "Liz is protecting us."

"Protecting you from what?"

"Being killed."

Alex stared at Max. "What are you talking about?"

"The reason Liz asked you to switch our blood samples is because my blood isn't like yours. I'm different from you. So are Isabel and Michael."

"Different how?" Alex asked cautiously.

Max swallowed hard. "We're not human."

"Then what the hell are you? Aliens?" He snorted and looked at Max, who remained completely serious.

"Yes."

Alex laughed. "Right. Sure, Max. Aliens. Of course you are. We are in Roswell, after all."

"We were in the 1947 crash. We were in these incubation pods until 1989. Our parents found us wandering in the desert, and--"

Alex held up his hands. "I've heard enough. Just stop right there. What do you people take me for, anyway? A fool?" He didn't allow Max the chance to answer. "I mean it, Max. Stay away from Liz. Maria, too. I don't care--drugs, brainwashing, whatever. I'm on to you." He turned and walked out of the museum.

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Liz awoke and realized she wasn't at home. She looked around the room. Then she smiled as she recognized the surroundings. She was in Alex's room, safe and sound. She looked at the clock. The red digital numbers read 6:29.

She sat up straight and Alex, who was sitting at his desk, turned around and looked at her. He was by her side in an instant. "How are you feeling?" he asked anxiously.

She blinked. "A little better," she admitted.

He felt her forehead. "Well, I don't think you're sick."

She shook her head. "I'm not. Not physically, anyway."

"So, do you feel up to talking now?" he asked gently.

"I think so. Can I use your phone? I was supposed to meet Max to study for our Hamlet test."

"It's all right. I talked to Max. He isn't expecting you."

Liz stared at him in surprise. "You talked to Max?"

"I went to see him while you were asleep."

"Alex, I know what you're thinking, but what's going on with me has nothing to do with Max."

"Liz, I don't know if this thing with you and Max is about drugs, or what, but I know that he's not helping you."

"Alex, what did you say to Max?" she asked carefully, trying to calm her heartbeat.

"Just to stay away from you. That whatever is going on with you, he's responsible for it."

"What did he say?"

Alex thought for a moment. "He said it wasn't about drugs."

Liz swallowed hard, the breath catching in the back of her throat. "Did he say what it was about?"

"Yeah, he said ou were protecting him from being killed. He said--" Alex began laughing. "--that he, Isabel and Michael were aliens."

Liz's heart stopped for a full two seconds. She stared at him, the words sinking in. Max told him the truth!

Alex realized Liz wasn't laughing. "Liz, you're not going to try and tell me that it's true, are you?"

For a moment, she couldn't even speak. Then she found her voice. "Alex, it is true."

He rolled his eyes. "Right."

"Alex, listen to me," she pleaded. "What Max said is true. He, Isabel and Michael--they're not human. Not like us. Not genetically."

Alex studied her, worry written all over his face. "This is serious. These people have you seriously brainwashed."

"No, Alex. Remember a few weeks ago at the Crashdown, when Maria told you she found blood on her order book? That was my blood, Alex. Two guys were arguing, and one of them pulled out a gun. It went off." Her eyes filled with tears. "I got shot in the stomach. I nearly died, Alex. but then Max ran over to me. He put his hand over the wound and he--he healed me. Max saved my life and it nearly cost him his."

For a long moment, Alex didn't say anything. She certainly appeared to be telling the truth. But aliens? There had to be some other explanation for this whole situation.

"It's true, Alex. That's why Topolski was here. Since that day at the cafe, everyone's been suspicious of Max: Kyle, Sheriff Valenti..."

"Who else have you told this to?"

"Only Maria."

"And she believes this?"

"She's seen it firsthand. Alex, they can do things."

"What things?"

"Besides healing?" Alex nodded. "Unlock doors without keys, heat up food without microwaves, make connections with people..."

He looked at her dubiously. "No offense, Liz, but this all seems a bit too..." he searched for the word.

"X-Filish?" she supplied. "I know it's hard to believe, but it's true. I'm sorry I didn't tell you, but I just--couldn't." Liz bit her lip and stared down at the bedspread.

"You uh--you said before that what's going on with you now doesn't have anything to do with Max," he said, hoping to divert her mind from the topic of little green men.

She looked away and Alex suddenly saw that distressed look on her face again. He seated himself next to her on the bed and put an arm around her shoulders. "Liz, it's okay. You can trust me, remember?"

Liz looked him in the eyes. "I know."

"So um...you said you were having nightmares. What about?"

"Some things that happened to me a long time ago," she answered, her voice barely above a whisper.

"What things?"

Liz swallowed hard and Alex saw the tears welling up in her eyes. "Please don't walk out on me, Alex," she whispered.

"I won't," he promised.

"When I was younger...my uncle Charlie used to make me play games with him. Bad games." The tears spilled onto her cheeks.

Alex stared at her in shock. "Liz, are you telling me that--your uncle abused you?" he whispered.

Liz put her face in her hands and started crying. Alex just wrapped her in his arms and held her tightly, fighting off the sickness he felt burning in his stomach.

"I think I'm in trouble now, Alex," she said, forcing herself to calm down.

He pulled away to look at her. "What do you mean?"

"He's here now."

"Your uncle? He's here? In Roswell?"

She nodded and choked back another sob. "He's staying at our house for the next two weeks."

"Oh, God." A thousand thoughts hit him at once. He chose to say the only thing that seemed logical. "You have to tell your parents."

"No, Alex, I can't. You don't understand. My whole family loves him. They all think he's wonderful. They wouldn't believe me even if I told them."

"Does Maria know?"

"No! And you can't tell her. You can't tell Max, either. Alex, promise me you're not going to say anything."

He stood up. "Liz, this is bad. I mean, if he's at your house for the next two weeks, how are you going to avoid him?"

Liz shook her head. "I don't know, but I will. Please, Alex. Promise me."

Alex bit his lip and met her eyes. "All right. All right, I promise. But I don't have to like it." And I definitely don't, he thought.


	5. Chapter 5

Max looked over at Liz's empty desk in first hour psychology and bit his lip. This is the third time in four days she's been late, he realized. He forced himself to pay attention to the guest speaker.

"One out of three girls will experience some form of sexual abuse before they reach the age of twenty," the woman was saying.

Max glanced over at Isabel, who was filing her nails. Then he glanced over at Maria, who was leaned back in her seat, arms folded across her cehst. He looked at Liz's empty desk again, and then over at Michael, who looked very uncomfortable. He caught Michael's gaze and gave him a questioning look.

Michael looked away.

"The effects of sexual abuse can be devastating. It can cause nightmares, depression, and even suicide attempts. It effects a person's sense of trust, and can cause extremely low self-esteem..."

The bell rang a short time later. Max was the first one out the door. He spotted Alex down the hallway and he took a deep breath and headed towards him. "Alex."

Alex looked over at him and tensed up. "Max."

"Look, Alex, we need to talk."

"Yeah, we do."

Max looked away. "Outside?"

"Okay."

Max followed him outside to the courtyard in front of the school.

"Liz backed up your story," Alex said, getting right to the point. He turned to face him. Max simply nodded.

"Let me put it this way. I'm still not convinced that you haven't brainwashed her. I don't trust you, Max. I don't trust you, your sister, or Michael."

Max tried not to let the words hurt him. After all, he understood where Alex was coming from. But the words still stung.

"So what I'm going to say is that you're going to have to prove it to me, Max."

Max swallowed hard and then nodded. "Fair enough." He set his books down on the bench as Alex watched. Max leaned down and picked up a small twig. He focused his mind and moved his hand over the wood. Alex watched in amazement as the twig changed into a pencil and then back into a twig. Max looked up at him.

Alex stared back. He wasn't completely shocked. He had been awake all night, sitting on the floor next to the bed where Liz had slept. He had thought about everything: what happened to Liz, how he could keep her safe from her uncle, and about the whole Max-Michael-Isabel thing. He had prepared himself for every possible scenario. But still. He hadn't been able to believe that the three of them could really be aliens. Now the proof was right in front of him. And now he needed time to think.

He turned away from Max and headed back to the school.

"Alex, where's Liz?" Max asked anxiously.

"She's at my house, sleeping."

Max caught up with him. "Is she okay?"

"For now," he said shortly.

Max stared at him. "Alex, what's going on?"

"Look, Max. What Liz tells me is confidential, okay? Just like she never would have told me your secret."

His words were clipped, and accusing. Max stared at the ground.

Alex stopped walking and turned to face him. "Max, what made you decide to let me in on your little secret anyway?"

"Partially because after what you did, you deserved the truth."

"And the other reason?" Alex pressed.

"It was for her."

Alex met Max's gaze. He saw the truth in Max's eyes and he accepted it. Alex nodded. "See you around, Max."

"Alex, is she okay? Really?" he asked worriedly.

Alex turned to look at him. "That's something you'll have to ask her."

Max watched him as he left. And suddenly, he recognized the heavy feeling he'd carried with him for the past several days. It was a deep, lonely sadness that he had grown accustomed to from third grade until September 19, 1999. Only this time, the feeling wasn't his own.

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Isabel was mad. Two nights in a row without sleep didn't put her in a decent mood. And Liz hadn't shown up to first hour. She had spent the entire class time alternately watching Max, Michael and Maria shoot worried glances at Liz's empty desk.

Then, after class, she saw Max go up to Alex and hte two of them had left the school building. She wondered if Liz had told Alex whatever was going on with her. She hoped so. Otherwise she'd spent a night trying to get into his dream orb for no reason.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Michael sat down across from Maria at lunch that day. "Hey," he said.

She looked up with slight surprise, but then she smiled. "Hey."

Michael's breath caught in the back of his throat at the sight of her smile. He smiled back. "How's the taco salad?"

"Cold," she answered, shoving the tray away.

He glanced around and when he was satisfied that no one was watching he held his hand above the taco salad, and grinned with satisfaction as the cheese melted into the meat.

Maria stared at him in shock. "Thanks."

"No problem." He leaned back in his seat and watched her for a few minutes. "So, uh..."

Maria looked into his eyes. "Yeah?"

"I was just--you know, thinking. Have you ever--been horseback riding?"

She blinked. "Once. When I was eight. Why?"

"Well, maybe all of us could, you know, go sometime or something."

"Sounds like fun," she said in agreement.

"Great."

Isabel joined them. "What's going on?" she asked.

"Not much," Michael said, surprised at the sudden disappointment he felt about no longer being alone with Maria. "Where's Max? And Liz?"

"Max will be here in a few minutes," Isabel said, looking around. "I haven't seen Liz. I guess she's sick."

"Either that or her parents made her stay home for family time," Maria said, taking a sip of her soda.

"Family time?" Isabel repeated.

"Yeah, her uncle's staying with her and her parents for the next couple weeks. I guess he, like, wanted to spend time with her or something."

Michael nearly choked on his soda and Maria and Isabel both stared.

"Are you okay?" Maria asked, leaning forward in concern.

"Yeah, yeah."

Just then, Max walked up and sat down with them.

"So, what's up? I saw you talking with Alex earlier," Isabel said.

Max shifted uncomfortably. "Something's going on with Liz. I think Alex knows."

Maria looked at Max in shock. "Why would she talk to Alex and not me?"

Michael stared down at the table as he felt Isabel's stare fixed on him.

Max gave Maria a sympathetic look.

"Why don't you talk to her, Max?" Maria suggested. "Maybe she'll talk to you."

Max sighed. "I already tried to talk to her. I'm the last person she wants to talk to about whatever it is."

Maria stood up. "Well, then, I'm going to go talk to Alex. I'll see you guys later." She picked up her tray and walked off.

"I have to go," Michael said, standing up quickly.

"Where?" Isabel asked.

"To think," he answered, stuffing his hands in his pockets and walking away.

"What's with him?" Max asked.

"Guess he's got a lot on his mind," Isabel answered, staring after him.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Maria walked up to Alex, who was sitting at a table outside by himself, simultaneously eating an apple and reading a magazine. She sat down across from him.

"DeLuca," he greeted her, barely looking up.

"Where's Liz?"

He didn't answer.

"Alex, if something's going on with Liz, I need to know."

"Why?"

"Because I'm her friend."

"Oh, so that makes a difference now."

She stared at him. "Alex, look. What's going on with me and Liz doesn't concern you."

He finally looked up at her. "Yeah, and maybe what's going on with Liz doesn't concern you." He stood up. "If you want to talk to me again, Maria, fine. But it can't be about secrets." He walked away and Maria stared after him.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Liz adjusted her dark sunglasses and stared into her locker, trying to remember if she had any tests she had to study for for tomorrow.

"Liz," a voice said behind her.

She turned around. "Kyle," she said in surprise.

"Hey," he said, leaning against the locker next to hers. "You, uh, you missed history today. Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, I just--wasn't, you know, feeling well, so I stayed home and caught up on sleep," she said, glad she was wearing the glasses so he couldn't see her red-rimmed eyes.

He nodded and studied her. "Liz, are you sure there isn't something else? Because it seems like something's wrong."

Liz hesitated. "No, I'm okay."

"If you're in some kind of trouble, I want to help, Liz. I still care," he said quietly. "I never stopped caring."

She bit her lip, wishing she could tell him she felt the same way about him that he did about her. But I can't. Because my heart belongs to someone else, she thought. "I know, Kyle," she said softly. "And I care about you, too, just not that way."

He sighed. "I know. I hope Max Evans realizes how lucky he is." He smiled at her. "We can still be friends, right?"

She smiled back. "Right. You can never have too many friends."

"And if you need anything--" he began.

"I know where to find you," she finished.

He gazed at her. "I mean that."

"I know."

Kyle started to walk away.

"Kyle?"

He turned to look at her again. "Yeah?"

"Thank you."

He nodded and left.

Liz watched him go, once again overtaken by the loneliness.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Michael leaned against the brick wall by Liz's bedroom window and stared up at the sky. It was a bit chilly, but nothing he couldn't handle. He listened to the silence from Liz's room. She was at her desk, studying as usual. She had no idea he was out there.

He wasn't even sure what made him decide to spend the night on her roof. Maybe it was because of how Max felt about her, and Max was an extension of him and he had to protect what was important to Max.

Or maybe somewhere, deep down, he had realized that Liz Parker wasn't so bad. He didn't want her to get hurt at any rate. And if he was the only one who knew her secret, it was his responsibility to protect her. At least that's what his conscience told him.

Just then, Michael heard a noise from the fire escape and he sat up in alert. Was it her uncle, coming up the back way to her room?

Alex Whitman climbed onto the roof and stared at him. "What are you doing here?" he asked in surprise.

Michael stood up. "Uh--"

There was a long pause.

"You're here because you know about Liz," Alex said finally.

Michael nodded.

"Why would she tell you?" Alex asked suspiciously.

He didn't respond.

"Ah, the silent treatment. Big surprise," Alex said, rolling his eyes. "Well, save it for someone who cares. I know who you are, Michael, so cut the crap."

Michael stared at him. "Excuse me?"

"I said I know who you are."

Michael stood up and looked in the window, feeling anger growing within him.

"Liz didn't tell me. Max did."

"What?"

"Max told me the truth about you, him and Isabel yesterday."

Their eyes locked and Michael knew he was telling the truth.

"Don't worry. I'm not going to say anything," Alex told him.

Michael nodded. "You came to see Liz?"

"Actually, I had the same idea as you," he admitted.

"Oh."

"So, if you don't mind some company..."

"No, it's fine."

Alex sat down on Liz's chair and Michael took his place by the wall again. "So, uh--how long have you know Liz and Maria?" Michael asked.

"Five years. I moved here in fourth grade, but they didn't know me until fifth."

"So, did you ever--date either of them?"

Alex almost laughed. "Parker or DeLuca? No way. Why would I?"

Michael lifted an eyebrow.

"Yeah, they're both gorgeous, Michael, and I would lay down my life for either one of them, but Liz and Maria aren't exactly my type."

For some reason, Michael felt relieved. "So, you're pretty good friends with them, then?"

"So you like Maria," Alex said, resisting the urge to grin.

Michael looked guilty. "How'd you know?"

"Well, because it's pretty obvious that Max is--well, that he really likes Liz. And you're Max's best friend, so...I guess it was just an assumption."

Michael nodded. "She's complicated, you know? It's like, one minute we're ready to kill one another and she's really getting on my nerves, and the next minute we're talking about our lack of parental figures and I feel like she really understands me."

"Yeah, Maria can be pretty annoying," Alex agreed in disgust.

Michael watched him. "You two fighting?"

"She just has double standards, you know? She won't talk to me for weeks, she doesn't trust me, and then she comes up to me today and demands to know what's going on with Liz. Then she acted upset when I wouldn't tell her."

Michael felt guilty. "Look, that's our fault, Alex. We swore her to secrecy. I think--well, I think we scared her into secrecy, actually. She was really freaked about the whole thing."

"Yeah, well, I understand why you did it."

"You do," Michael said doubtfully.

"Yeah, if the situation had been reversed, and it had been my life on the line, I would've done the same thing."

"Well, just don't be too hard on her. She wanted to tell you."

"Yeah?"

Michael nodded. "Liz, too."

"I guess I thought they just didn't want me as a friend anymore." Alex glanced at him. "But thanks for telling me the truth. So, uh...how well do you know Isabel?"

Michael grinned broadly. "Ah, ulterior motives. Pretty well, actually. She seems tough, but she's really a good person."

"Yeah, I sensed that," Alex said, nodding.

"And it doesn't bother you that she's different?"

"Isn't everyone?" Alex retorted. "Doesn't it bother you that Maria is different?"

Michael blinked in surprise. "But she isn't."

"Yes, she is. She's just as different from you as Isabel is from me," Alex pointed out. "Does that change how you feel about her? Didn't you ever think that maybe you're not the one who's different? That it's her? And what does it matter anyway? Since when does different equal bad or scary? Different makes things interesting. Keeps you on your toes."

Michael looked at him thoughtfully. "Guess I never looked at it like that."

"Yeah, well, keep in mind you're not the only one on this roof who's different, Michael." Alex gazed up at the sky. "You okay here for the night? I'm kinda tired. Didn't sleep much last night."

"Yeah, I'm all right. See ya."

"Night, Michael." Alex walked over to the fire escape. Michael watched as he left. He was surprised that he actually felt a little better.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_Alex walked into the park and found Liz sitting on a swing. "Liz, are you okay?" he asked, sitting down on the swing next to her._

_"I don't think I can handle this, Alex. I can't stand him!"_

_"Why don't you let me tell someone? Liz, I don't know how to help you. I can try to make sure he doesn't hurt you while he's here, but what about next time? Or the time after that? Liz, I don't know much about child abuse, or how to help someone who's been through it."_

_"I can't tell anyone, Alex. No one will believe me. Not my parents, especially. They love Uncle Charlie. He'd just deny everything."_

_Suddenly Alex was standing in Liz's bedroom. She was screaming as her uncle unfastened his belt buckle, as he held her with one hand, pinning her to the bed._

_Alex grabbed him off her and spat in his face. "You sick bastard! Stay away from her!" he screamed, slamming him against the wall. Alex slammed his fist into his face repeatedly until his face and Alex's hands were covered in blood._

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Isabel sat up with a start, her heart racing. "Oh, my God," she said aloud. She was trembling as she dialed the telephone.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Hello?" Maria's sleepy voice answered on the seventh ring.

"It's me," Isabel said quietly, forcing herself to remain calm. "I just went into Alex's dream."

Maria sat up in bed, suddenly wide awake. "And?"

"And you need to meet me at 7:30 tomorrow morning before psych class."

"Got it," Maria quickly agreed. "See you in the morning."

Maria hung up the phone and stared into the darkness. That's when she felt it. Something was about to change. "What is it?" she whispered. Only silence answered her.


	6. Chapter 6

Liz managed to pull herself out of her car and walk towards the school building. Catching up on sleep at Alex's the other day had helped a lot--she had been able to stay awake all night last night, in case Uncle Charlie decided to pay her a visit, and she managed to somewhat focus on biology homework to keep her mind off Uncle Charlie.

But as she walked towards psych class, she was hit by a wave of exhaustion and had to lean against the wall for a moment to keep her balance.

"Liz?"

She turned to face Max, and forced herself to smile. "Hey."

"Are you all right?" he asked in concern.

"Yeah, I'm just kind of dizzy, that's all." She took a deep breath and stepped away from the wall. Her knees buckled almost instantly.

Max dropped his books to the ground and caught her before she hit the floor. "Take it easy. Lean on me," he instructed.

Liz leaned her head against his shoulder, holding onto Max's arm for support. "Take deep breaths," he said gently.

She did as he said, allowing her head to rest on his shoulder and her eyes to close. She felt one of his hands resting on her shoulder, brushing against her hair. His other hand rested on the small of her back, supporting her.

"Do you think you're going to pass out?"

Liz shook her head slowly.

"Let me take you to the hospital," he said, gazing into her eyes.

She shook her head again. "Max, I'm okay. I'm just really tired," she said quickly.

"Liz, I'm really worried about you. Please tell me what's wrong," Max said softly.

"I can't tell you, Max," she whispered. "I want to tell you, I just can't." She was near tears as she pulled away from ihm and hurried into the psychology classroom.

Max sighed as he stooped down to pick up his books. Just then, Maria tripped over him and her books went flying through the air. She landed with a hard thud.

"Are you all right?" Max asked in concern, holding out his hand to help her up.

"Yeah, I'm okay. God, I'm sorry," Maria said, scrambling to pick up her things.

"It's okay," he assured her, handing her a stray notebook and rising to his feet. He watched her for a moment. "Maria, is everything okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, everything's great," she lied, hoping Max wasn't as empathetic as she suspected.

"Because you seem a little shaken up," he added.

"No, no, I'm great. Really. I'm just psyched for psych," she said with a nervous laugh. Oh, my God, I can't believe I just said that, she thought, cringing inwardly.

Max studied her. Something weird is definitely going on here, he thought.

"Well, I'd better get inside," she said, and hurried into the room.

Max shook his head and followed her.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Liz felt a tap on her shoulder and she turned around. Maria handed her a note and Liz quickly unfolded it.

_Meet me in the band room after 1st hour. It's important._

_-Maria_

Liz nodded and looked at her friend in concern. Maria's expression was impossible to read and Liz was too tired to try at the moment. She faced the guest speaker again.

"I was raped two years ago," the woman said. "By my ex-husband."

"Yeah, but you were married to the guy," Pam Troy said.

"Rape is rape," Maria spoke up, a touch of anger in her voice. "If you don't want to have sex with someone and they force you, that's rape, whether you used to be married to the guy or not."

"Yeah, but it's not as big a deal. I mean, she used to sleep with the guy, right?" Bruce Hinton argued.

"So what?" Isabel demanded. "Does that give him the right to force sex?"

"I don't think so," Maria responded, glaring at Bruce.

"Guess that all depends on your point of view. Bet all the guys in here have a different opinion," Bruce challenged. He looked at Michael. "Right, Guerin?"

"Not all of us," Michael answered, leaning back in his chair.

"What about you, Evans?"

The breath caught in the back of Liz's throat.

Max shook his head. "No way. If a girl says no, that's the end of the story. No means no. No one has the right to force someone to have sex against their will."

"And anyone who thinks differently needs to be dragged into the street and shot," Maria added.

"Or tortured to death," Michael said. He met Maria's gaze and she silently thanked him.

Isabel glanced over at Liz. Isabel could tell she was dangerously close to crying. She raised her hand.

"Yes?" the guest speaker asked.

"How do you help someone who's been assaulted?"

"Most victims are afraid to talk about their experience. Many are afraid of being blamed, or shunned. As you can see, public scrutiny for assault survivors runs high.

"Rape or sexual abuse rips away a person's sense of security. They're afraid to trust people, afraid they will be seen as dirty or tainted in the eyes of the people they love. As a friend, you can just let the survivor know that you're there if she needs to talk. It's important that you don't push her to make decisions until she's ready. You need to allow her to have a sense of control over her own life. It may take time, and a lot of it, but in the long run, if you allow her to make her own decisions, she'll be much better off."

Isabel nodded and shot a glance at Maria, who nodded ever so slightly.

Max noticed the exchange and wondered briefly what unspoken message had just passed between them. He forced himself to pay attention to the speaker again.

"Most of you probably know someone who's experienced some form of sexual assault in their lifetime. Maybe you've even experienced it first hand. The most important thing to remember is: it's never the victim's fault. The abuser took away your control. You couldn't do anything to stop him. Don't blame the victim. Don't blame yourself."

The bell rang.

Liz raced out the door.

Maria sprinted to keep up with her. "Liz, wait!" she commanded. She grabbed her friend's arm and pulled her into the empty band room. She closed the door behind them. Then she turned to face her. "Liz, I know everything," she blurted out.

Liz grew pale. "What?" she whispered.

"I know about what your uncle did to you."

Liz dropped into a chair and closed her eyes.

"Liz, it wasn't your fault," Maria said.

Liz suddenly felt angry. "Who told you? Michael or Alex?"

Maria stared at her. "I-can't say."

"Who else knows? Isabel? Max?"

"I don't know."

"You can't tell anyone, Maria!"

Maria stared at her. "Liz, your uncle's staying at your house. What if he decides to--"

"I can take care of myself!" Liz snapped, leaping to her feet. She flung open the band room door and raced into the hallway. She waited by Alex's locker impatiently.

He came up a few minutes later. "Hey, Liz, how are you?"

"Did you tell Maria?" she asked immediately.

Alex blinked in surprise. "Of course not."

Liz took one look at him and knew beyond a doubt he was telling the truth. "It must have been Michael. God, I'm going to kill him!"

Liz turned around and stormed away. Alex stared after her.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Michael was standing at his locker when someone tapped him on the shoulder. He turned around to see Maria standing there. "Oh, hey."

She glared at him, her eyes flashing. "We need to talk."

Michael had a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. She all but dragged him to the janitor's closet before glaring and snapping, "Why didn't you tell me about Liz?"

Michael stared at her. "You know?"

Maria nodded. "And I want to know why you didn't tell me."

"Because Liz asked me not to."

"Since when do you do anything someone else says to?" Maria demanded. "Since when do you even care?"

"It's not like she told me, either. I-went into her dream. I thought she was getting ready to turn us in."

"Liz would never do that. And if you weren't so damned paranoid all the time, you'd know that."

Her words stung, and made him angry. "Yeah, well, if you were me, and there were hundreds of people wanting to experiment and exterminate you, you'd be paranoid, too!" he snapped.

"For your information, in case you've forgotten, Liz and I are in just as much danger here as the three of you!"

"Yeah, and for your information, if you hadn't stuck your noses where they didn't belong, you wouldn't be in danger!"

"You're right, but then you'd be dead now, wouldn't you?"

"Like you'd care!"

Maria stared at him. "Michael, contrary to what you might think of me, I am not a horrible person and I don't want you dead!"

"I don't think you're a horrible person," he said quietly, meeting her eyes.

Maria looked away. Michael's gaze was too intense and she felt like he could see right through her.

"I didn't tell you because I was trying to keep my promise to Liz."

She looked up. "Liz needs help, Michael. She doesn't need help keeping secrets."

"It was a judgement call."

"Yeah. It was. A bad one." Maria turned and walked out. Michael stared after her. He didn't care what some human thought of him. So why did he suddenly feel like he'd been punched?

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Liz couldn't sleep again. She tossed and turned, but was too afraid her uncle might come in her room and she wouldn't wake up in time, to actually go to sleep.

If I don't get some sleep, I'm not going to survive my Saturday shift at the Crashdown, let alone be awake enough to enjoy a movie with Max, she thought.

Then her mind became consumed by thoughts of Max. God, I wish he was here, she thought.

If only she could feel his arms around her, holding her, keeping her safe. Her heart ached. She needed him badly. She wasn't going to make it through the night if she didn't see him or at least hear his voice.

She didn't have the strength on her own.

Liz whimpered as tears filled her eyes and she buried her face in her pillow. She finally gave into her fear and reached for the telephone. She dialed the number she had memorized long ago.

He answered on the first ring. "Liz?"

She blinked in surprise. "How did you know--?"

"I don't know. I just did," he said softly. "Is everything all right?"

The concern in his voice was so sincere, Liz's eyes filled with tears again. "I just--needed to hear your voice."

Max heard the tremor in her voice. He had felt an intensely sharp pain just seconds before the phone had rang. He'd been feeling it every once in awhile, but it wasn't until the phone rang that he realized the feeling was coming from Liz. She was hurting. She was scared and alone and sad. It was a sadness that ran very, very deep. And Max felt it. "Liz," he whispered.

It was then that he could hear her crying. Ever-so-softly, because she was trying to hide it, but crying all the same. His heart broke.

Liz was shaking so badly, she could barely old onto the telephone receiver. Calling Max hadn't helped. It made her need to see him increase intensely. She couldn't believe what she was about to ask. "Max?"

"I'm here, Liz."

She struggled with herself to not ask what she wanted and in the end, she didn't have to.

"Why don't you come over, okay?" he asked.

"You don't mind?"

"Not at all. Do you need me to come and pick you up?"

"No, I'll walk. I'll be there in a little while."

They hung up the phone at the same time and Liz leapt out of bed. She grabbed a blue sweatshirt out of her closet and pulled it on over her t-shirt. She pulled on a pair of sweatpants. Then she hurried over to her window, climbed out, and stared at Alex in surprise.

"What are you--?" she began.

"Just making sure nothing happened."

She nodded, and then hugged him. "Thanks for being such a great friend."

He hugged her back. "Are you going to see Max?"

"Yeah, how'd you know?"

"Because he's who you need the most," he answered. "You should tell him."

"I can't," she whispered. "Alex, I have to go." She hurried to the fire escape and climbed down. Then she ran all the way to Max's house.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Max heard the soft, hesitant knock on the window and he rose to his feet. He parted the curtains and opened his window. He reached out and helped her climb inside.

He enfolded her in his arms, pulling her head against his shoulder. "We'll get through it, Liz, whatever it is," he whispered, gently stroking her hair and the back of her neck.

"Can I stay here tonight?" she whispered.

"Yeah, sure," Max answered immediately. He let go of her long enough to close and lock the window. Then he wrapped his arms around her again. "You can have the bed. I'll take the floor. Do you want to talk for awhile?"

She shook her head and pulled away to look at him. "Max, can you just--can you just hold me tonight?"

He met her eyes and realized how hard it was for her to ask him this. He touched her cheek gently. "Well, if that's all you wanted, you certainly don't ask me to do anything difficult."

She smiled despite the fact that tears were forming in her eyes again. Liz climbed into his bed and he climbed in next to her. She laid her head on his shoulder, and he wrapped his arms around her, resting one of his hands on her back and the other on the back of her head. Max rubbed her back gently.

"Thank you," she murmured softly.

"For what?" he asked in confusion.

"For being you. For making me feel safe."

He held her a little tighter. "I'll protect you if you'll let me," he whispered.

A tear rolled down her cheek. She buried her face in his shoulder as she felt the sobs forming in her throat.

"Liz, let it out," he whispered.

She shook her head, swallowing hard and making her throat sore for not crying. "If I do, I'll never stop, Max, and I'm afraid I'll drown."

"I'd save you," he told her softly.

"What if you couldn't?"

"Then I'd drown with you," he whispered back.

She relaxed in his arms as he stroked her hair gently. Before long, Liz slipped into the deepest sleep she'd ever experienced. And for the first time in a long time, Liz didn't have any nightmares.


	7. Chapter 7

Liz waited on Michael's door step impatiently, anger building deep inside her. He opened the door and stared at her in surprise. She didn't give him a chance to speak. "How could you tell Maria? You promised you wouldn't say anything, Michael!"

"I didn't tell Maria anything. I thought you told her."

"Well, I didn't, and neither did Alex. That leaves you."

"Liz, I promised I wouldn't tell anyone, and I haven't," he said honestly.

"Then if you didn't say anything, and I didn't say anything and Alex didn't say anything, how did Maria find out?"

Michael's eyes narrowed. "Isabel." He set his jaw. "She must have walked into one of our dreams."

Liz burst into tears and covered her face with her hands. Michael stared at her for a moment and then placed a hand on her shoulder. He lead her inside his trailer and over to the couch. When she was sitting, he went and grabbed a handful of tissues and handed them to her.

"Thank you," she said, wiping her eyes.

"You're welcome." He didn't know what else to say to her, but he felt another wave of sympathy for her rush over him.

"You don't think she'll tell Max, do you?" Liz asked fearfully.

Michael sat down next to her. "I don't think so. I don't know." He bit his lip. "Why are you so afraid of him finding out, anyway?"

Liz looked away. "When Max told me about you, and I told Maria, weren't you ever afraid that we might see you guys as freaks?"

Michael felt the breath catch in the back of his throat. "But you didn't. And that's not how I see you now. And neither would Max if you'd just give him the chance."

She shook her head. "I can't tell him."

"Why not?"

She stood up. "When Max healed me, we formed this connection. When I found out he got flashes of my life, it kind of scared me. So Max reversed the connection so I could see flashes of his life. And that's why I can't tell him. You didn't see what I saw, Michael." Liz walked to the door.

"Liz, I've known Max for a really long time. The guy's been crazy about you for as long as I can remember. Nothing's going to change that."

Liz remembered the feel of Max's strong arms holding her protectively last night. Would he even want to touch me if he knew the truth? she wondered. I can't take that chance. She turned to leave. "I have to go."

Michael sighed and watched her leave.  
\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Isabel opened the front door and blinked in surprise. "Michael. Why are you using the door?"

"We need to talk." His eyes darkened with anger. "Are your parents here?"

"No, they're away for the weekend. Why?"

He stepped inside and closed the door behind him. "You can't just go walking into people's dreams for fun."

"That's a bit hypocritical, don't you think?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I didn't do it for fun, Isabel. I thought Liz was going to turn us in. She wasn't. End of story. Or at least it should have been," he said angrily.

"I didn't walk into Liz's dream," she said honestly.

"No, but you walked into Alex's to find out what was going on with her. That's just as bad, if not worse."

"Wait, how did you know I walked into Alex's dream?"

"Because Maria confronted Liz."

"Maria told Liz?" she demanded.

"Of course not. Maria wouldn't break her promises," Michael snapped. "Liz and I figured it out."

"She knows?"

"Yeah, she knows. And don't be surprised if Liz tells Alex!"

"But-she can't! Alex doesn't know about us!"

"Yes, he does. Max told him."

"What?"

"You're going to have to get control over your recreational powers, Isabel, before one of them decides to turn on us because of you!"

"Well, what about you, Michael? Since when do you care about Liz or Maria or Alex, or any human for that matter?"

"I don't have to answer to you, Isabel."

"You do, Michael! We've been friends forever. You, me, and Max--we've always stuck together and now all of a sudden, you're keeping secrets from us!"

"Because it didn't have anything to do with you or Max, or me, for that matter! And maybe because these humans have the opportunity to destroy us if we mess up!"

Isabel saw right through that one. "Uh-uh. No way. There's something else you're not saying."

Michael glared at her. He hated that she could tell so easily when he was lying. "Don't you ever feel like you need someone else besides me and Max in your life? Maybe I'm tired of only going to the two of you when you don't understand me."

"And suddenly Liz, Maria and Alex understand you?"

"Let's just say maybe I have more in common with them than I thought, all right?"

"What are you not saying, Michael?"

"What's going on?" Max asked, coming down the stairs in a t-shirt and sweatpants, rubbing his eyes.

Isabel and Michael glared at one another.

"Michael, what are you doing here?" Max asked in confusion.

"Leaving," he answered shortly. He stormed out the front door.

Max looked at Isabel. "What was that all about?"

"That was just Michael being Michael," she answered. She ran up the stairs to her room, and slammed the door.

Max stood at the stairs, unable to decide what to do. The doorbell rang. Max walked over and answered it.

Alex Whitman stood in front of him, looking more angry than Max had ever seen him. "Is Isabel here?"

"She's in her room--" Max started.

Alex walked inside the house without waiting for an invitation and headed for the stairs. "Which door?"

"Second on the left," Max replied. Alex took the steps two at a time.

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Alex knocked on her door hard. "Max, go away!" she shouted. He flung the door open and glared at her. She stared at him in shock. "Alex!"

He closed the door behind him. "Liz told me what you did." His face was beet red.

Isabel stood up. "Alex, let me explain."

"Save it, Isabel! I don't care what your reasons were! You invaded my privacy! You invaded Liz's privacy! It was none of your damned business!"

Isabel swallowed hard. Alex was actually yelling at her. She'd never seen him so angry. "Alex--"

"Shut up! What the hell gives you the right? Just because you're not human, you think you have the right to mess with people's minds? That being an alien makes you God? Well, you're wrong!"

Her eyes filled with tears. "I'm sorry, Alex. I didn't mean to--"

"Save it for someone who gives a damn, Isabel. Because I sure as hell don't!" he shouted. He left the room, slamming the door behind him. Isabel burst into tears.

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Liz carried two orders to her table when she looked up and saw her uncle staring at her, a strange smile on his face. She swallowed hard and forced herself to focus on her job.

"Lizzie, when you get a minute, we need to talk," he said. He disappeared into the kitchen.

Liz felt dread build within her as the front door bell tinkled. She turned to look. Kyle waved at her and slid into a booth. She walked over to him. "Hi. Can I get you something?"

He watched her for a moment. "You busy?"

She glanced around the nearly empty diner, then shook her head. She slid into the booth across from him. "What's up?"

"I'm worried about you, Liz."

"Why?"

"Well, for one, you're trembling," he said.

Liz gazed down at the table.

"And you look like you're about to cry," he added softly, reaching across the table and taking her hand. He squeezed it gently. "Did Max do something to you?"

She met his eyes. "Of course not. Kyle, Max would never hurt me."

"I didn't really think so, but I had to make sure. Because if he had, I'd have to kill him." He squeezed her hand. "So, if it's not Max, then what's going on?"

Liz pulled her hand away from him. "I just haven't been sleeping well, Kyle. That's all. I have to get back to work, okay?"

He nodded and Liz stood up.

"Lizzie, I really need to talk to you," her uncle called from the back.

Kyle stood up to go, just as the other customers were leaving. If he left, Liz would be there, alone, with her uncle.

She grabbed his arm. "Kyle, wait. Let me get you your usual, okay? On the house for being such a good friend."

Had she not sounded so desperate, Kyle would have left. Instead, he sat back down. "Okay. I never turn down free food."

She smiled in relief. "If I'm not back in two minutes, come back and get me, okay?"

Kyle looked into her eyes. Something had her terrified. He nodded. "Two minutes. Got it."

"Thank you," Liz whispered. She walked slowly to the back. Her uncle was nowhere in sight. She turned to go back out front when suddenly, he jumped out from behind the door. "Boo!"

She gasped. "You scared me!"

"I know." He grinned and stepped towards her. She backed up until she was against the wall with no where else to go. Uncle Charlie put his hands on the wall on both sides of her and brought his face close to hers. "How's my special niece? We haven't seen much of each other since I came back. Haven't had a chance to catch up."

Liz shrunk away. "Nothing to catch up on."

"Oh, really? Who's that boy you've been spending so much time with? What's his name? Max?" he asked huskily. "Hope he hasn't replaced me. You guys seem awfully serious."

"Max is a friend. A good friend," Liz said, trembling as her uncle stepped closer to her.

"So you two haven't-?" he asked, pressing his body against hers. She felt his hardness pressing against her stomach and suddenly she felt like she was going to be sick. "Do you remember what to do when a man says he wants you, Lizzie?" He lowered his hand to her leg, brushing against the inside of her thigh.

Liz shoved him away with all her strength and he stared at her in surprise. "Don't touch me!" she said shrilly.

"That's no way to treat your uncle. Your parents wouldn't think so, either."

"I doubt they'd care if they found out what you did!"

"What did I do?" he asked innocently. "I'm just showing my niece how much I love her. Nothing wrong with that. Besides, your parents love me. They wouldn't believe you even if you told them."

"Don't be so sure," she warned.

"So what? You've got a boyfriend and now you can't let any other man touch you?" he demanded. "I have news for you, Lizzie. That Max kid only wants your body."

"You're wrong," she said shakily. "Max doesn't see me that way."

He laughed, his eyes flashing. "Of course that's how he sees you. That's how every man sees you. He sees you just like everyone else, for the little whore that you are!"

"That's enough! Who the hell are you?" Kyle demanded, stepping into the back, and glaring at her uncle.

Uncle Charlie glared at him. "Who the hell are you?" he retorted.

"Liz, are you all right?" Kyle asked, stepping over to her. She nodded, unable to speak. Kyle took her hand and lead her back to the door. "I don't know who you are, but if you don't get the hell out of here, I'm calling my dad."

"Ooh, your dad. I'm so worried."

Kyle let go of Liz's hand and stepped up to him. "Liz is a good friend of mine," he said evenly. "And I just witnessed you harassing her. My dad is the sheriff. You do the math."

Her uncle took a step away from him and remained silent.

Kyle glared at him for a full thirty seconds, his eyes never leaving her uncle's. Then he turned, grabbed Liz's hand, and pulled her out into the front of the resturaunt.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Kyle asked her.

"Yeah, I'm okay. Thanks," Liz said, her voice shaky.

"Liz, who was that guy?"

"My uncle," she whispered.

Kyle stared at her. "Your uncle?"

She nodded. "Kyle, I really hate to ask you this, but could you stay here until I'm off work? I don't want to be here alone."

"Liz, that's not a problem," he said.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome." He took a seat at the counter.

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"All right, Izzy, spill it. First you and Michael are fighting, and then Alex storms in here and storms back out within five minutes. I want to know what's going on," Max said, looking at Isabel, and folding his arms across his chest.

"Nothing," she lied.

"Isabel," he warned, raising an eyebrow.

"Nothing," she repeated.

The doorbell rang. "You're not off the hook," Max said as he hurried downstairs and answered the door. "Maria," he said in surprise.

"Hey. Is Isabel here?" Maria asked nervously, shifting uncomfortably.

"She's in her room," Max answered, stepping aside to let her in. Maria headed for the stairs.

"Maria, wait a minute," he said suddenly.

She froze in her tracks. "Yeah?"

"Is everything all right with Liz? I mean, she's been kind of upset lately."

"I-uh-Liz-she's, um, she's...uh..."

"She's not been talking to Maria, either," Isabel said quickly, standing on the stairs.

"Right," Maria agreed. Isabel grabbed her arm and they ran up the stairs.

Max stared after them. "All right. Enough games," he said aloud. He picked up the telephone and dialed a number.

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"Kyle, can you grab the phone?" Liz called as she carried a plate of food to a customer.

"Yeah, sure," he called back. Kyle snatched up the receiver. "Crashdown Cafe. Can I help you?"

"Uh, yeah, is Liz there?" the voice asked.

"Yeah, but she's with some customers right now. Is this Max?" Kyle asked.

"Uh, yes."

"This is Kyle Valenti."

"Oh. Uh..."

"I'm worried about Liz."

Max sighed. "Yeah, so is everyone else."

"She won't talk to you about it?" Kyle asked in surprise.

"She won't talk to anyone."

Kyle bit his lip and glanced over at her. She was taking some more orders. "Listen, Max, are you going to be home for awhile?"

"Yeah."

"Liz gets off at 3. If it's all right, I'm going to drive her over to your place after her shift, okay? I don't think it's a good idea for her to be alone right now."

There was a pause. "Kyle, why are you doing this?" Max asked hesitantly.

"Because I care for her. I don't want to see her hurt."

Another long pause. "Yeah, it's fine if you want to drive her over here. I was calling to see if I could pick her up after work, anyway."

"Good." Kyle paused. "Max, I just want you to know that I had nothing to do with what happened to you a few weeks ago. You know, with Paulie and Tommy and those guys. I didn't set that up or anything."

"I didn't think so," Max replied.

"Okay. So I'll drop her off at your place after work."

"Okay. Thanks, Kyle."

"Yep." Kyle hung up the telephone and his gaze trailed back to Liz. "Anything for you, Liz," he whispered to himself. "Anything for you."

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Alex ran into Michael on the sidewalk on the way to Max and Isabel's.

"You headed to Max's?" Michael asked, frowning.

Alex frowned back. "You too?" Alex figured Max was just mad at him for upsetting Isabel.

"Yeah, he said it was important. I thought it was going to be about our past. Apparently not if he invited-" he cut himself off.

"Outsiders?" Alex finished tensely.

"You," Michael responded.

They didn't say anything else as they walked up to the house. Alex rang the bell and Max opened the door promptly, and stepped aside to let them in.

"Maxwell," Michael greeted him. His gaze was immediately drawn to Maria, who was sitting cross-legged on the floor. Her eyes darkened when she saw him and she looked away. He glanced at Isabel, sitting to Maria's left, on the couch. She wouldn't meet his gaze, either.

Michael suddenly had a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach. The only one not there was Liz, but he had a feeling she'd be there soon, too, and that she was the reason for this meeting. He looked at Max and pulled him aside. "What is this? Sabotage?"

Max blinked in surprise. "No. It's we've all lost communication with one another and we need to re-establish it before something bad happens."

Michael glanced at Maria, who was glaring at Alex. Alex was glaring back. The tension in the room was so volatile, Michael feared there'd be an explosion.

The doorbell rang. Max opened the door for Liz, who stepped inside. "So, what's going on, Max?" she asked, looking into his dark eyes. She suddenly realized that they weren't alone and her gaze swept around the room, looking over at each person one at a time.

A wave of panic hit her. She met Michael's eyes and he shook his head slightly. Max doesn't know, she realized as short-term relief washed over her. Then she noticed how all of her friends were glaring at one another.

Alex looked ready to kill Isabel. Isabel glared back. Maria glared at Michael, who glared at Isabel. Max had a look of total confusion on his face.

"All right. I want to know what's going on here," Max said, glancing from one person to the next. His gaze landed on his sister. "Isabel?"

She met Alex's icy stare with one of her own. "Some people just need to be more understanding about why we do the things we do under the circumstances."

"Yeah, so instead of just asking, you think it's okay to just invade someone's privacy?" Alex shot back.

"Maybe it wouldn't have mattered because maybe someone did ask!" Maria said, jumping to Isabel's defense.

"Maybe it was none of your business," Michael said, glaring at Maria and Isabel.

"Coming from you that's a bit hypocritical, don't you think?" Isabel demanded.

"It all comes down to matters of trust," he answered darkly.

"I asked you what was going on. You refused to tell me!" Isabel cried, jumping to her feet.

"Because it had nothing to do with you!" he said, raising his voice.

"But it does! If one of our friends is in trouble, some of us would like to know!" Maria said angrily. Michael could almost feel daggers shooting from her eyes.

"It wasn't up to you to know," Alex said, glaring at Maria. "If that person wanted you to know, that person would have told you! But obviously some people don't think some of us are trustworthy enough to be honest with, so now how does it feel?"

"When did you turn into such a jerk?" Isabel demanded. "I thought you were a nice guy."

"I am a nice guy, Isabel. But I won't allow myself to be used by you anymore!"

"I wasn't trying to use you, Alex. I was trying to find out what was wrong!"

"Oh, innocent little Isabel," Alex mocked.

"That's enough," Michael said sharply.

"Okay. What about you?" Maria said suddenly. She locked eyes with him. "You've known since the beginning! You used the same tactics Isabel did, but that's okay?"

"It's completely different."

"Oh, really? How?" she demanded.

"I was doing it because I was afraid of us getting caught by Valenti!"

"So much for trust," Maria shot at him.

"You know what? You're right. I don't trust anyone here anymore," he said, glaring at her. A quick flash of pain passed over her eyes, but then quickly disappeared.

"Well, that makes two of us. Because I don't trust anyone here now, either. Least of all you," she said coolly.

Her words stung, but Michael didn't let it show.

"So, what, Michael? You don't trust Max and I either?" Isabel demanded.

Michael remained silent.

"Well, great, Michael! Wonderful!" Isabel said. She burst into tears for the second time that day.

Maria tried to put an arm around her to comfort her, but Isabel pushed her away.

"I am doing my best here, okay? Isabel, I'm sorry," Michael said.

"Well, you should be," Maria said darkly. "You're the one who started all this."

"Me? What about you, Maria? You've never screwed up before? You think you're so perfect?"

"News flash, no one here is perfect," Alex cut in.

"Oh, that's the statement of the century," Isabel said sarcastically, wiping away her tears.

"Hey, you don't have to be rude," Maria said quickly, looking at the hurt on Alex's face.

"Stay out of it," Isabel answered, glaring at her.

Suddenly, Liz plunged herself in the middle of the four of them. "Stop it! Everyone stop fighting!" she cried, tears springing to her eyes.

The room fell dead silent and everyone stared at her.

"Don't you see what's happening? Look at you guys. You're ready to kill one another!" Her voice dropped. "And it's my fault." She turned to look at Max, her heart sinking. She brushed a tear off her cheek. "Max, I need to talk to you alone."

He nodded silently and he reached his hand out to her. Liz reached her hand out and held onto his tightly. And as they left the room, no one moved. No one said a word. They wouldn't even look at each other.


	8. Chapter 8

Max opened the door to his bedroom and Liz followed him inside, closing the door behind them. She let go of his hand. He watched her carefully.

"You should sit down," she said softly.

Max sat down on the edge of his bed. Liz paced around the room nervously. "Liz, whatever it is, just tell me," he said gently.

"I don't know how," she said, her eyes filling with tears.

Max's heart ached when he saw her so distressed. "Liz, are you okay?"

"It's about my uncle Charlie." She swallowed hard and lifted her gaze to meet his own.

Max had a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. "What about him?"

She turned away. "He's not who everyone thinks he is. Everyone thinks he's this great, perfect guy. But he's not."

"Who is he?" Max asked softly.

Liz stared out the window. "He's a monster," she whispered.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Liz's heart pounded in her chest. She watched the children playing across the street. She remembered when she was 8 or 9, how she and Maria used to play in Maria's backyard. Maria had been her sanity back then. Thank God for her, she thought, overwhelmed by a sense of grattitude for her friend. She blinked back tears.

"A monster?" Max repeated.

She swallowed hard. "He used to come into my room at night when I was sleeping." Her voice dropped. "I would wake up and he would be on top of me. He would tell me that if I ever said anything, he'd kill my parents and make me watch." She dropped her head as her tears fell.

Max rose off the bed and moved until he was standing behind her. He touched her shoulder lightly. She was shaking. "Liz," he whispered.

"Go ahead and tell me you think I'm a whore," she said softly. "Because you'd be right."

He withdrew his hand in shock. He moved until he was standing in front of her. "Oh, God, Liz, don't say that." Max rested his hands on her shoulders. "I could never think that about you. Never," he said vehemently. He stared into her eyes. "It wasn't your fault," he whispered. "You were just a little girl. Is this why you didn't tell me? You thought I'd think you were--that?" Max couldn't even repeat the word she'd just called herself.

"Part of it," she admitted. She turned away.

"What's the other part?"

"Because that day a few months ago, when you reversed the connection and I saw images from your mind..."

"Yeah?"

"I never told you what I saw." She took a deep breath and faced him. "When you touched me, I saw myself the way that you see me. And I...I was beautiful in your eyes. No one's ever seen me that way before. I didn't want that to change."

The breath caught in the back of Max's throat. There was only one thing he could do. "Liz, let me touch you," he whispered, bringing his hands to her cheeks. He gazed into her eyes.

Suddenly, Liz saw herself standing in Max's room, tears in her eyes. She felt a rush of pure love followed by a rush of sorrow that was similar to what she'd been feeling for the past week. And then Liz realized that she was feeling what Max was feeling.

There was no disgust towards her, no hint of hatred. She was surrounded by his true feelings. Surrounded by pure, 100% Max Evans.

She gasped and the connection was broken. She stared into Max's eyes for a moment before he pulled her into his arms. She pressed her face into this chest, sobbing. She cried harder than she ever had before as Max held her protectively in his arms.

Max's own tears spilled over and he lowered them to the floor, wrapped in each other's arms. Max stroked her soft hair gently. "I'm so sorry, Liz," he whispered, rocking her back and forth like a child. "I'm so sorry you got hurt."

Liz let him hold her, comfort and console while she cried. When she finally stopped crying, he continued to hold her and she listened to the sound of his strong, steady heartbeat and she relaxed considerably. His chin rested on the top of her head.

"Thank you," she whispered.

"For what?"

"For being you."

Max kissed her forehead and tilted her face back so he could look into her eyes. He touched her cheek gently. "Nothing could change the way I see you, Liz. I think you're the most beautiful, perfect girl in the universe."

Liz touched his face, her eyes locked on his. "When I'm with you, I feel like everything's going to be okay again. You make me feel alive," she whispered.

He brushed a strand of hair out of her eyes and his hand lingered on her cheek. Liz leaned towards him, her eyes fluttered closed. Their lips brushed gently in a soft, tender kiss. She opened her eyes and looked into his soulful brown ones. The eyes that made her feel loved. Like she'd found home. She kissed him again and he threaded his fingers through her hair.

When the kiss ended, they leaned their heads together and Max placed his hands on her shoulders. "We have to get back to the others soon."

"I'm sorry I messed everything up with everyone," she said softly.

"You haven't," he assured her. He kissed her forehead again, and she laid her head against his shoulder. "How did everyone find out, anyway?"

She hesitated. "Michael walked into one of my dreams."

Max stared down at her. "What?"

"He thought I was going to turn you guys in," she said quickly.

He shook his head. "That is totally unacceptable. I'm going to kill him," he said angrily.

"Max, no! It's okay, really. Look, Michael didn't trust me, it's okay, I understand. Really, it's okay. He tried to get me to tell you what happened to me, but I wouldn't listen. He did try to help me. And he didn't tell anyone. He kept his promise. I'm not mad at him, Max."

"So how did everyone else find out?"

"I told Alex. I made him promise not to say anything, but Isabel went into one of his dreams and found out. She told Maria."

Max felt the anger build within him. "Liz, I am so sorry about Michael and Isabel. They shouldn't have invaded your privacy like that."

"I understand, Max. They just don't trust us, that's all. It's okay."

"No, it's not okay," he argued. "It's getting old!" he said in frustration.

Liz gazed into his eyes. "Do you trust us?"

"I trust you," he answered immediately. "I always knew that if I ever told anyone about who I really was, it would be you."

"Really?"

"Yeah. I've known it since the day I met you in third grade," he said seriously, brushing hair out of her eyes. "You're different than other people. You're a truly beautiful person, Liz. Inside, as well as out," he told her softly, caressing her face in his hands.

The breath caught in her throat as Max traced circles on her cheeks with his thumbs. "So are you," she whispered. "I trust you, too, Max."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. But what about the others? They're all angry and afraid. We have to do something before this all gets out of hand."

He nodded in agreement. "We have to figure something out."

"Max," she said suddenly.

"Yeah?"

"I have an idea."


	9. Chapter 9

Max squeezed Liz's hand as they walked together into his living room. Maria, Isabel and Alex all looked up. "Where's Michael?" Max asked.

"Outside getting air," Maria said bitterly.

Max let go of Liz's hand, but she caught his arm. He met her gaze. "Let me," she said softly. He nodded. Liz took a deep breath and walked to the door.

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Michael didn't look up when the door opened. "Michael?" a soft voice said.

He turned to see Liz sit down next to him on the step. He didn't say anything.

"Michael, why did you agree to keep my secret?"

Michael blinked in surprise. "What?"

"I mean, you hated me at the beginning of the week. But then, all of a sudden, you tried to help me."

He stared at his feet.

"Alex told me what you did. How you stayed outside my window to make sure nothing happened to me. Why did you do that, Michael?"

"Because I don't hate you. I didn't want you to get hurt."

Liz touched his arm. "Something happened to you, too, didn't it?"

Michael looked at her in surprise. "It's not the same thing that happened to you. Hank used to beat me. That's it."

"Abuse is abuse. It hurts the soul. Makes you feel tainted," she said, her eyes darkening.

Michael looked into her eyes. He hadn't thought in a million years that any human could understand how he felt, let alone Liz Parker. But she did.

"You're not tainted, Michael," she said softly.

"Neither are you," he told her.

They both smiled briefly, then watched the six children playing across the street on the swing set. "Michael, I know that we're not exactly friends, but I want you to know that you can trust me. And I want to thank you for not telling anyone. Especially Max. I needed to tell him myself."

Michael nodded. "You care about him a lot, don't you?"

Liz smiled. "Yeah, I do."

He nodded again, his eyes fixed on a little boy and a little girl playing tag together. "Don't hurt him."

"Don't hurt Maria."

He turned his head to look at her.

"She seems tough, but she's not. Not really. She cares about you, Michael. And I know you care about her."

"Yeah."

They were both silent for a long moment. "Max and I want to try something that might pull the six of us together. So we can trust one another. Maybe even become friends." She stood up and held her hand out to him.

Michael stared at it for a moment, squinting against the sun's bright rays. Then he grasped onto her hand and stood up. She squeezed his hand gently before releasing it and going back inside the house.

Max's eyes locked with Liz's the second she stepped inside. The connection between them was so immediate, so intense, that Michael was nearly bowled over by it. And suddenly his respect for Liz Parker grew by leaps and bounds.

"So, what exactly are we going to do?" Alex asked, a touch of nervousness in his voice.

"I want us to form a connection so we can see that everyone here is trustworthy. It was Liz's idea," Max informed them.

"It-uh-doesn't hurt, does it?" Maria asked, sweeping her gaze to each person.

Michael took her hand. "No. It won't hurt." Their eyes locked.

"What do we do?" Alex asked.

"I think I can do this if we all hold hands and clear our minds," Max said, reaching his hand out and lacing his fingers through Liz's.

Liz reached out and grabbed Michael's hand. Isabel took Max's other hand and then looked at Alex. He shot LIz a glance and she looked back at him with pleading eyes. He took Isabel's hand, and then Maria's.

"Now everyone just relax and clear your minds," Max instructed.

Liz felt the almost instantaneous connection form between her and Max and she smiled. Her eyes were closed, but she knew Max was smiling, too.

She was surprised however, by the intensity of the connection that was formed with Michael. She heard him draw in a sharp breath and realized he was just as surprised.

Seconds later, she felt the familiar feelings she got from being friends with Maria and Alex, and then she felt a burst of guilt from Isabel.

Liz got an image of Isabel, sitting up in bed, shaking after she'd gone into Alex's dream about her. She had been truly concerned for Liz, had wanted to help her. Liz imagined walking over to Isabel and giving her a hug, hoping that Isabel received the image.

Next, she saw an image of Michael's foster father hitting him. She flinched and projected herself into the image. She held her hand out to Michael and he looked at Hank, then back at her. Then he reached for her hand met her halfway. She hugged him, and much to her surprise, Michael hugged her back.

Then she saw Maria walking towards her. She smiled and at the same time, they sent each other an image of the two of them when they were 8 years old, playing on the swing set in Maria's backyard. Liz sent her a wave of gratitude and friendship.

Alex sent her an image of the two of them, on her roof, looking at constellations through her telescope. She smiled and sent him and image of a shooting star.

Then she got an image of Max. It was the most beautiful blue and purple butterfly she'd ever seen. She felt the wave of love surrounding the creature. Then she heard his thoughts. *This is how I see you.*

Liz sent him an image of the two most beautiful white wolves, running side by side through the snow. She surrounded them with her own feelings of love. *This is how I see us.*

Max and Liz walked toward one another on the connection plane and met in a gentle, loving embrace. Max kissed her gently and she returned the light pressure. And for the first time in a long time, Liz felt like herself again.

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Michael met Maria on the plane. They both stared at one another for a long minute. Then Michael Guerin did something he never thought he'd do. He held his hand out first. Maria smiled and didn't hesitate placing her hand in his. Suddenly he had a vision, sent from Maria, of wild horses galloping over the wild plains.

Michael began to smile.

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Alex saw Isabel in the distance, standing by a tall willow tree. He had seen one of the images Liz had sent him--one of Isabel, crying. And he knew she hadn't meant to hurt anyone.

Alex walked towards her and when he was only a few feet away, he sent her an image of a beautiful violet.

A smile spread across her face and she opened her hands and a dove flew towards him.

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Suddenly, the six of them were standing in the middle of a field of wild flowers. Max smiled at Liz from a few feet away and opened his hands.

Liz smiled back and opened her hands as well. A rainbow formed between them.

The others copied their actions. Rainbows appeared, connecting each person with everyone else.

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Liz opened her eyes and smiled around the circle. She was shocked to see everyone was glowing. Maria was surrounded by a beautiful, shimmering blue. Alex by orange, Isabel by purple, Max by green, and Michael by red. She herself was surrounded by a rich, warm amber color.

She'd never seen anything more beautiful. Max broke the connection moments later.

"That--" Maria started.

"--was awesome," Alex finished. They smiled at one another.

"I think we're all okay now. Is that safe to say?" Liz asked, glancing around.

Isabel smiled at her and she smiled back. She turned her head to look at Michael, who smiled at her as well.

Then Liz turned to Max. He put an arm around her waist. "I think so," he agreed. "Everyone feel okay?"

Everyone nodded their heads in unison.

Michael looked around the group in absolute amazement. He suddenly realized that it didn't matter if Hank didn't love him, didn't accept or care for him. He didn't need Hank. He had a family right here in Max's living room.

Max and Isabel had always been like family to him, but something had always felt like it was missing. And now, after all this time, he finally knew what it was. He smiled at Liz, Alex, and then Maria. They smiled back.

And suddenly, trying to find a way to get back to his real home didn't seem so important. His real home was with his real family. His real home was right here with the people who meant more to him than anything.


	10. Chapter 10

"So what do we do about Liz's uncle?" Maria asked, reaching across the table and taking her friend's hand.

"We could kill him," Isabel suggested, smiling slightly.

Maria smiled back. "Doesn't sound like a bad idea to me."

Alex looked over at Liz. Max had his arm wrapped around her shoulders, and was playing with her hair while Liz leaned her head against his shoulder. She looked more peaceful than Alex had ever seen her.

Michael smiled across the table at Maria. "We don't have to kill him, although that would be fun, too. All we have to do is mess with his head a little."

Alex frowned. "What do you mean?"

"A few terrifying nightmares with some negative reinforcement," Isabel said, grinning broadly. "I'm up for some dream stalking."

"That makes two of us," Max spoke up, pulling Liz a bit closer to him.

"I'm in," Michael said, smiling at Liz.

"Man, I wish I was an alien," Maria said in frustration.

Michael and Isabel exchanged a look. "We might be able to draw you guys into the dream. I've never tried it before, but after that connection, it's feasible," Isabel said, glancing at Maria, Alex, and Liz.

"I don't know if I should be part of this," Liz said quietly.

"It's totally up to you, Liz. Is this whole thing okay with you? Do you want to approach this differently?" Isabel asked.

Liz met her gaze. Isabel was handing her back the control she had lost so long ago. Liz felt a lot stronger than she had in years. She thanked Isabel with her eyes.

"Whatever you want to do, Liz," Alex agreed. He and Isabel exchanged a smile.

"It's your choice," Michael said, gazing into her eyes.

"Totally," Maria agreed.

"We'll stand behind you with whatever you decide," Max said, squeezing her lightly.

She met his eyes. "I don't know what I want to do," she admitted.

Max kissed her forehead. "That's okay. We'll just figure out a way to keep you safe until you do decide."

"Thank you," she whispered, laying her head on his shoulder again.

Maria and Alex smiled as they watched Max and Liz.

"Do you want to spend the night here?" Isabel offered.

Liz smiled. "Yeah. I just have to call and tell my parents."

Isabel smiled back, unable to hide her happiness. It was hard for Isabel to let anyone in. She had lots of popular friends, but nobody that knew who she really was.

And the truth was, Isabel liked Liz and Maria. They knew her. She knew beyond a doubt she could trust them now. She had ached for a companion to talk to.

She loved Max and Michael, but there was something about having a female friend, someone to discuss girl things with, things that guys could never understand. Now she had two female friends. She couldn't be more thrilled.

"But, Mom, Isabel and I need to study for history." She looked back at Isabel and covered the mouthpiece. "I can't stay."

"I could come over to your house," Isabel offered quickly.

Liz bit her lip. She didn't want to possibly place Isabel in danger.

Isabel knew what she was thinking. "Don't worry, Liz," she said, her eyes twinkling.

Liz grinned. "Mom, would it be okay if Isabel came over to our house?" She listened. "Okay, thanks." She hung up the phone and turned to Isabel. "She said okay." An idea suddenly occurred to her. "Maria, why don't you come over, too?"

"Okay," Maria agreed.

"Well, then, tonight we're all right. Liz, do you work tomorrow?" Alex asked.

"9 to 5."

"I work 7 to 3," Maria said.

"I'll be there around 2," Max said.

"Me too," Alex said quickly.

"I'll camp out on your roof tomorrow," Michael said volunteered.

"I'll be there with you," Max said, gazing at Liz.

"Great," Michael said, smiling.

"I don't work Monday," Liz told them.

"You can come over here after school," Max said. "You're welcome to stay the night." He blinked. "Speaking of which, it's Saturday night and my parents aren't home. Alex, Michael, you guys want to hang here tonight?"

"Sure," Alex agreed.

"Hey, any time I can avoid Hank is fine by me."

Isabel stood up. "I'm going to pack a bag. Liz, did you drive?"

"Yeah."

"Maria?"

"Yeah."

"I'll pick you up in the morning, okay, Izzy?" Max offered.

She nodded and hurried up the stairs.

"I'm going to go grab some stuff from my house," Alex said. "Michael, do you want to come with me?"

"Sure." Michael stood up.

"I'm going to head to my house, too," Maria told Liz. "See you in an hour?"

Liz nodded and watched as the three of them left.

Max stood up and walked over to Liz. "You're amazing, you know that?" he whispered. He touched her face. "I have a question."

"Yeah?"

"Why wolves?"

She smiled softly. "Because once a wolf finds a mate, they stay together for life."

His heart nearly melted from those few words from Liz Parker. "Liz?"

"Yes?"

"Can I kiss you?"

"Please," she whispered. He caressed her face in his hands, his eyes locked with hers. Then he lowered his face to hers and touched her lips with his own, very gently.

Liz's eyes drifted shut as Max lowered one of his hands to the small of her back to support her. He was so gentle, so careful with her. Liz felt a wave of pure love flowing between them. God, this feels so right, she thought. She wrapped her arms around his neck as the kiss deepened.

Isabel came down the stairs and saw her brother and Liz wrapped in a gentle embrace. She smiled. "It's about time," she said softly.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Isabel glanced at Liz and Maria as the three of them walked up to Liz's apartment. Liz took a deep breath and turned the handle. Much to their surprise, someone swung open the door from the other side.

Liz jumped back.

"Hello, Lizzie," Charlie said, smiling. He glanced over at Maria and Isabel, smiling at them. "You must be friends of Lizzie's."

Liz swallowed hard. "This is Maria DeLuca and Isabel Evans."

"Nice to meet you," he said.

Maria took an involuntary step backwards, but Isabel remained standing where she was. She stared at him icily. "Wish I could say I returned the pleasure."

Charlie blinked. "Excuse me?"

"Sorry, I don't think I can do that," she replied, her eyes flashing. "Liz, we really need to study for geometry."

"I thought you were studying for history," he said, staring at Liz.

"You thought wrong," Liz said sharply, surprised by the tone of her voice.

Isabel smiled as Charlie's face fell. She linked her arm through Liz's and Maria followed them to Liz's room. They closed the door behind them.

Maria burst out laughing. "Did you guys see his face?"

Isabel grinned.

"I can't believe I just said that!" Liz exclaimed, sinking onto her bed.

"You have a lot more inner strength than you give yourself credit for," Isabel told her.

Liz met her gaze. "Well, I wouldn't have found it if it weren't for you guys."

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Hey, I'm going to go grab some more sodas and popcorn," Michael said, standing up and leaving the room.

"Okay," Max said.

Alex glanced over at him. "Hey, Max," he said.

"Yeah?"

"I just-want to say I'm sorry about all the things I said to you before. About staying away from Liz and everything."

"You were just worried about her."

"So were you," Alex pointed out. "I was just-angry, you know?"

Max nodded. "It's okay."

"Do you love her?"

"Yes," he answered immediately.

"Good. I don't want her getting hurt. She's one of my best friends in the world." He looked at Max. "She loves you, too, you know."

Max stared at him in surprise. Then he lowered his eyes. "I'm kind of afraid it won't work," he admitted.

"Why?" Alex asked, unable to hide his own surprise.

"Well, because she's a...and I'm an..."

Alex raised an eyebrow. "Why is it that you guys are more worried about that then us humans?"

"What are we more worried about than you humans?" Michael asked, coming back into the room.

"That was some fast popping popcorn," Alex commented.

Michael grinned. "And it didn't even require a microwave."

Alex shook his head in amazement.

"So, what are we discussing?" Michael asked again, plopping down onto the couch.

"Uh...Girls," Alex answered.

"Liz or Isabel?"

Alex turned red and looked away.

Max looked over at him. "You and Isabel?"

Alex shook his head. "I don't think she sees me that way."

"Have you ever asked her?"

"Did you ever ask Liz?"

"Uh, well, no. Not exactly. But Liz and I-we-we're different."

"Yeah, you just look at each other and know what you're thinking," Alex answered. "You don't need to ask."

"Isabel's just--she's not as tough as she acts. Just talk to her," Max advised.

"You guys are really pathetic," Michael said with a laugh as he threw a piece of popcorn in the air and caught it in his mouth.

Alex and Max focused their attention on him. "Oh, and what about you and Ms. DeLuca?" Alex teased.

"Completely different."

"How so?" Max demanded.

"We don't try to analyze everything that happens. It's not complicated."

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Michael and I--well, actually, I don't know if there is a Michael and I," Maria said, sipping a cherry pepsi. "It's really complicated."

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Neither of use expects anything from each other. It's great not knowing from one minute to the next what's going to happen between us."

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"I mean, I have no idea what Michael expects from me, and I hate not knowing how he feels or what's going to happen between us."

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"We have the perfect relationship," Michael said, leaning back against the couch cushions.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Our whole relationship is a weird disaster."

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Michael, are you sure Maria feels the same way?" Alex asked.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"I have no idea how Michael feels about us, Isabel. That's the whole point."

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"I really think you should talk to her, Michael," Alex urged. "I've known Maria for a long time and she's not as flighty as she seems. She's--well, she's vulnerable."

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"I really think you should talk to him, Maria," Isabel said, painting her fingernails bright pink. "I've known Michael forever and he's not as tough as he acts. He's just--well, he's scared."

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"She's a really great person, though, Michael," Alex said. "Liz is, too," he added, looking at Max, who was staring at the phone.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"He's got a good heart, Maria. And so does Max," Isabel said, shooting a look at Liz, who was staring at the telephone.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"So, what's up with you and Liz anyway?" Alex asked curiously.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Liz looked up at Isabel, surprised by the question. "Max is a great guy. The best I've ever known."

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"She's perfect. She's completely different from all the other girls I've ever met."

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"His eyes are so--I can look into them and just get completely lost. But the weird thing is, when I look into his eyes, I never feel lost. I feel...like I've found home."

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"When I look into her eyes, I feel like I've found home."

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Max has been head over heels for you since third grade," Isabel announced.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Max here has been in love with Liz since the third grade," Michael told Alex.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Oh, wow. That is like, so romantic," Maria squealed. "But why didn't he say something before?"

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Alex stared at Max. "And you never said anything to her about it?"

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Maria, he couldn't. It was too dangerous," Isabel said, rolling her eyes.

"Well, at least he didn't say anything for the right reasons," Maria said thoughtfully.

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"It was too dangerous. I didn't want Liz to get dragged into the whole mess," Max said, staring at the floor.

"He did it for the right reasons," Michael said, tossing more popcorn into the air and catching it in his mouth.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Maria tossed a piece of popcorn in the air and caught it in her mouth. Then she grinned. "I've kinda had this crush on Michael since the fifth grade."

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"I've kinda had this thing for Maria since the fifth grade. It's just something about her..."

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"There's just something about him," Maria said, shrugging her shoulders.

"Yeah, he's a vibrator, right?" Liz asked teasingly.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Yeah, Maria's a 'real vibrator,' right, Michael?" Max asked with a grin.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"So, what about Alex?" Maria asked Isabel casually.

"I don't know. He seems sweet."

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Isabel is great. You should go for it," Michael advised.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Oh, Alex is great. You should definitely, definitely, definitely go for it," Maria told her. She looked at Liz. "Right?"

Liz had been staring at the phone again. "Right."

"Would you just call him already?" Isabel demanded, rolling her eyes.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Would you just call her already? Obviously you're worried, so just call her," Alex said, rolling his eyes.

Max nodded and picked up the phone. He hit speed dial. The line was busy.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Liz hung up the phone and sighed. "Busy signal."

A second later, her phone rang and she snatched it up. "Hello?"

"Hey, it's me."

"Hey," she said with a soft smile. "I just tried to call you."

"Yeah, me too, but the line was busy," he told her.

"That's because I was trying to call you," she said. They both laughed.

"Now that is scary," Maria commented to Isabel, who grinned.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Are you sure Liz isn't an alien?" Michael asked Alex, who laughed.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"So, is everything okay?" Max asked softly.

"Yeah. I mean, we're just sitting here talking."

"Same here. So he hasn't tried anything?"

"No. No, we're okay."

"If anything happens--"

"--I'll call you."

"Promise," he said at the same time Liz said, "I promise."

"Liz?"

"Yeah?"

"Are you really okay?"

Liz dropped her voice. "Well, I'd be better if you dropped by tonight," she said softly.

"You mean--?"

"Yeah."

"Are you sure?" he whispered.

"Positive. I mean, if it's okay with you," she added shyly.

"I'd love to," he replied, just as shyly.

Liz smiled. "Thanks."

"So, um, I'll see you soon, then."

"Yeah, soon," she echoed.

"Good night, Liz."

"Good night," she answered softly. She hung up the phone, relieved that Maria and Isabel didn't seem to have listened to her conversation.

She didn't want them to think she didn't feel safe with them. She did. But she had this darkness inside of her, this scary void that had ached and hurt for as long as Liz could remember.

Until the day that Max saved her.

And for that brief moment when she gazed up at him and saw the concern and the fear in his eyes--concern and fear over her--the aching had stopped. But as soon as Max had run from the Crashdown, it started aching worse than before.

Then Max had reversed the connection between the two of them. And for the first time ever, not only did the aching stop, but she felt like a whole person. And that's how she felt every time she was with Max now.

It wasn't a physical thing. Of course, she was attracted to him. How could she not be? His dark hair and broad shoulders and smile were enough to melt any girl's heart.

But Liz loved his eyes. God, she could just look into his eyes and forget everything else in the world.

And his hands.

The hands that had healed her, saved her from death. The hands that had comforted her when she thought she couldn't go on. The hands that kept her safe from harm. The hands that had formed the connection between her and Max that was so strong, they knew what the other was feeling, and thinking.

What Liz felt for Max went way beyond what anything physcial possibly could.

She needed him. She needed him to be with her. Liz loved Maria and Alex, and after the connection the six of them had formed, she was beginning to feel the same way towards Isabel and Michael. But the connection she shared with the four of them still paled in comparison to the connection she shared with Max Evans.

She suddenly couldn't wait to go to sleep. "Guys, I'm really tired," Liz announced, climbing into bed. "You don't mind, do you?"

"No, go ahead," Maria assured her. "We'll keep it down."

"Liz, do you have a yearbook?" Isabel asked suddenly.

"Yeah, it's on the desk," Liz said with a yawn. She crawled under the covers and closed her eyes.

Maria looked over at Isabel curiously as Isabel grabbed the yearbook and joined her on the floor again. "What are you doing?"

"I thought you might like to visit Michael," Isabel said, flipping through the pages until she found a picture. She looked at Maria. "Interested?"

"In dream walking?" Maria asked, eyes widening.

Isabel nodded. "I'm not sure if it will work, but we can try if you'd like."

Maria nodded eagerly. "Okay, great!"

Isabel had to smile at Maria's enthusiasm. Sure, she'd dream walked more times than she could remember. But it was still excited. She grasped Maria's hand in one of her own and then touched Michael's picture.

"Just close your eyes and relax," Isabel advised.

Maria did as told and laid down on the sleeping bag.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Now, just clear your head and close your eyes," Michael instructed as he gripped onto Alex's arm. "I don't know if this will work."

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Maria followed Isabel through the dense fog. "Where are we?"

"We're following Michael's dream orb," she answered.

Maria looked around and suddenly Isabel shrieked and Maria jumped and ran to her side. She found herself face to face with Michael and Alex. "What are you guys doing here?"

"Same thing you are," Michael said, smirking.

She stuck her tongue out at him and he grinned. He grabbed her hand. "Come with me. I want to show you something." He looked at Isabel and Alex. "You guys okay here?"

Isabel looked at Alex and smiled. "I think we'll be just fine." She reached out her hand and Alex took it, smiling back at her.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Liz stood on the beach, her long blue silk dress trailing the sand. Her long dark hair was gently tussled from the light breeze.

She could hear music playing, but she didn't know where it was coming from. It was then that she saw him. He was walking towards her slowly, his eyes locked with hers. He was dressed in a tuxedo and he was carrying a long-stemmed yellow rose.

Liz smiled as Max handed her the rose. They gazed at one another for a few seconds. Then he reached out and touched her cheek, caressing it with his thumb.

Max held his hand out to her. "May I have this dance?"

Liz smiled and allowed him to lead her into a slow dance.

He touched her cheek again, gently tracing a circular pattern on her cheekbone with his thumb. She watched his eyes, fascinated by the look of love she saw there.

Liz reached up and touched his face just as gently, her eyes closing as he lowered his head to kiss her lips.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Where are we, Michael?" Maria asked.

"Close your eyes," he told her.

Maria closed her eyes and allowed him to lead her a few steps.

"Okay, open them."

Maria's eyes flew open and she gasped. She and Michael stood in an open field, a herd of wild horses were galloping across the rolling plains. It was the mirror image of what Maria had sent him in the connection.

"Michael, this is beautiful," she whispered, lacing her fingers through his.

"You're beautiful," he answered. They both stood and stared at one another for several long moments, stunned by what he'd said.

Then slowly, they reached towards one another. Their lips met in a soft, tender kiss.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Isabel held onto Alex's hand as they walked side-by-side in the forest. "So, now that you know about us...I mean, how do you feel?" Isabel asked, hoping her voice didn't sound as nervous as she felt.

Alex stopped walking and she turned to face him. "Well, you just proved my point. You are the most beautiful girl in the galaxy."

The breath caught in the back of her throat. "Thank you for saying that. You're special, Alex. I've always known it."

"You have?" he asked doubtfully.

She nodded. "I've noticed you since the fourth grade. You've always watched me. Why?"

"Because I always knew there was more to you than you ever let on, Isabel. I've wanted to know you for a long time now."

"Really?"

Alex nodded. He touched her face gently.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Liz rested her head on Max's shoulder and he rested his chin on the top of her head.

She suddenly began feeling weak and she held onto his arm tightly.

"Liz?" he questioned, taking a step back to look at her.

"Max, I don't feel so good," she said weakly. The wind began to blow and the sky darkened. Liz's knees buckled and Max lowered her gently to the sand.

"Stay with me," he pleaded.

"What's happening, Max?" she whispered.

"I don't know. This is your dream, Liz."

"I don't think I'm dreaming," she said, moaning as lightning flashed through the black sky.

Max watched in horror as Liz's breath shortened. He put his hands on her face. "Liz? Liz, can you hear me?"

"I need you, Max. Please help me," she whispered.

And then to Max's horror, she disappeared. "Liz!" he screamed.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"This is nice," Maria whispered, sitting in front of Michael as he massaged her shoulders gently.

"Yeah," he agreed.

"Why can't things between us be like this all the time?"

Michael grinned. "Because we're both smart asses."

She smiled. "Do you think this can work out?"

"I hope so." Michael touched her face.

They were about to kiss again when a terrified scream filled the air. "Liz!"

"That was Max!" he said, on his feet immediately. He pulled her up. "We have to leave the orb!"

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Michael sat up in horror at the same time Alex and Max sat up, all of them gasping for breath. "What happened?" Michael demanded.

"Liz is in trouble!" And with those words, Max leapt to his feet, grabbed his car keys and raced outside with Alex and Michael right behind him.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Max scaled the fire escape to Liz's roof in record time. Isabel and Maria were already standing there, the panic and fear frozen on both of their faces.

And just by one look at them, Max knew.

"She's gone," Isabel whispered, tears filling her eyes.

"But how could he take her with you guys there?" Alex asked in dismay.

"When we dream walk, our physical senses are deadened until we leave the orb," Michael said. He rushed forward to gather Maria in his arms when she collapsed onto the ground sobbing.

Alex took Isabel's hand.

Max stared up into the sky. "Where are you?" he whispered.


	11. Chapter 11

Liz woke up with a major headache and she felt sick to her stomach. The first thing she realized was that she was no longer on the beach, but in the passenger seat of a car. She opened her eyes and blinked, staring out the window at the sun rise.

She rolled her head to the side and recoiled in fear when she saw her uncle Charlie in the driver's seat of the car. He glanced over and smiled at her. "I was wondering when you'd wake up, Lizzie."

"How did I get here?" she asked, her head throbbing.

"I brought you here."

"Where are we?" She looked out the window. All she could see for miles was desert.

"We'll be there soon, Lizzie. Don't worry."

"Where are you taking me?" she demanded. When he didn't answer, she reached for the door handle.

"Don't even think about it," he said, locking the door quickly.

"Let me out," she said, tears filling her eyes.

"I'll get you out after we've spent some quality time together."

"Stop the car! Let me out now!"

He hit her so hard she hit her head on the window. Liz felt the blood from the cut above her eye flowing down her face. She blacked out.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Max felt a sudden, stinging pain in his temple. He raised his hand to his head.

"Max, what is it?" Isabel asked, glancing at him from the driver's seat.

"I--don't know," he whispered. Then he lost consciousness.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_Liz was standing in the middle of a ring of fire. She coughed and held her hand up to shield her eyes from the flames. "Somebody help me!" she screamed._

_"Liz!" a voice screamed back._

_"Max!"_

_"Where are you?"_

_"Liz!" another voice shouted._

_She listened closer. There were more voices, calling her name. "Maria!"_

_Michael reached her first. "Liz, don't move!" he warned._

_"Where is everyone?"_

_"They're all here somewhere." Michael took a deep breath and leapt through the flames to where she was standing. He shed his jacket and wrapped it around her. "Close your eyes!"_

_Liz did as told and Michael picked her up and leapt over the flames._

_"Michael! Liz!" Isabel shouted, running over to them. "Are you all right?"_

_"I'm fine. Liz?" Michael said anxiously._

_She looked up at him. "I'm okay."_

_Suddenly she was engulfed in Max's arms. She buried her face in his chest. He held her tightly and met Michael's eyes. "Thank you," he mouthed._

_Michael nodded and wrapped his arms around Maria._

_"Liz, this is a dream," Max said, pulling away and looking at her. "Where are you?"_

_"Somewhere in the desert. Uncle Charlie kidnapped me. I think he used chloroform because I woke up feeling like I was going to be sick and I had a splitting headache."_

_Max leaned his forehead against hers. "We're going to find you, Liz, just hold on!"_

_Suddenly the earth began to rumble. "Max, I think the car's stopping!" she cried._

_Isabel, Michael, Alex and Maria looked on in horror._

_"Hold on, Liz! We're on our way!" he shouted._

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Liz woke up as her uncle was stopping the car. She was gripped by terror. She unfastened her seat belt. This is not going to happen again, she thought. He might have been able to hurt me when I was a child, but I'm not a child anymore. I can fight him now.

Uncle Charlie turned off the engine and smiled at her. He reached out to touch her face, but she shoved his hand away. "No!" she said loudly.

He frowned. "Don't be difficult, Lizzie." He reached for her again.

"I said no!" she shouted again, shoving him.

His eyes were flashing as he seized her wrists and slammed her back against the door. She fought not to black out. If she blacked out, it was all over.

He pinned her wrists above her head with one hand. "No! No!" she screamed.

Uncle Charlie reached beneath the t-shirt she'd been wearing as pajamas.

"No!" she screamed. She kneed him in the groin. He yanked his hand away so fast, her shirt tore and his fingernails raked against her leg so hard it drew blood.

Liz sat up and yanked on the door handle but it wouldn't budge. "Damn it!"

Uncle Charlie was quickly recovering from his injury.

Think, she commanded herself. Her gaze fell upon the tire iron under the seat. She reached for it just as he reached for her. Liz raked her nails down Charlie's face with one hand and grasped onto the tire iron with the other. She slammed it against the passenger window, shattering it.

Liz tore herself from his grasp and twisted her body until she was facing the window and began to pull herself through, ignoring the pain from the cuts on her hands from the broken glass. She was halfway out the window when he grabbed her thigh.

Liz screamed and swung the tire iron around, hitting him on the shoulder as hard as she could. He yelled in pain and she hit him again, this time, over the head, but not as hard. Charlie collapsed onto the seat with a low groan. He was unconscious.

Liz finished pulling herself out the car window, falling to the ground amidst the glass. Then she began to cry.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Oh, my God! There she is!" Maria screamed, staring out the window. Isabel had barely stopped the jeep when Maria leapt out the back and ran to her, followed closely by Alex. Maria let out a shriek as she got closer. "She's hurt! Max! Michael, Isabel! Liz is hurt!"

Liz shook her head and reached for Alex's hand. He quickly slipped his arm around her waist, unsure of how badly she was injured. He helped her to her feet, but very carefully.

"Liz! Are you all right?" Isabel asked.

She nodded and her eyes met Max's.

He stared at her. He took in the dried blood matting her hair against her bruised face, the fresh blood on her hands, arms and legs from the cuts from glass and Charlie's fingernails, her eyes which were red from crying, and then his gaze trailed down to her torn t-shirt, and for a long moment, Max couldn't even breathe.

Liz saw him struggling. "I'm okay," she said shakily. "I'm fine, Max."

Maria was crying. "What happened?"

Liz hugged her and Maria cried harder. "I'm okay, Maria."

"What did that bastard do to you?" Michael demanded, looking in the car window at the man who lay unconscious and bleeding. Even in that state, he looked better than Liz.

"Did he--?" Alex couldn't even finish his question he was so angry.

Liz pulled away from Maria and met Alex's eyes. "No. He tried. We struggled. I knocked him out."

"Thank God," Isabel whispered, near tears herself. She hugged Liz and then stepped back from her, waving her hand over Liz's shirt, and instantly repairing it.

"Thank you," Liz said softly. Isabel nodded.

Michael looked into her eyes. "Are you sure you're all right?"

"Yes. I'm okay."

He nodded and moved to inspect the car.

Max swallowed hard and stepped up to her. He couldn't stop staring at her. His eyes filled with tears as he reached out to touch her face. "Liz, I am so sorry. I'm so sorry I didn't protect you." His head dropped as the tears fell from his eyes.

Liz shook her head vehemently. "No, Max. You did. All of you. I wouldn't have been able to get away if it hadn't been for you guys. You made me strong, Max. You gave me the strength to fight back."

Max raised his head to look at her. Tears stained his cheeks and hers, as well. Liz stepped forward and threw her arms around him, holding onto him tightly. Max hugged her back, burying his face in her hair. "God, Liz, if he had...if he had..."

"Shhh, it's over. I'm okay, Max." She buried her face in his chest.

Max stroked her hair and they held each other for another minute. Then he pulled away. He closed his eyes and touched her face. The bruises and cuts and dried blood faded away. Then he opened his eyes and touched her arms. He healed the cuts there as well. "I wish I could heal the hurt here, too," he whispered, placing his hand over her heart.

"You already have," she whispered back, reaching up and touching his cheek gently. "You already have, Max."

"Uh, guys, I don't think he's going to be unconscious much longer," Maria said nervously, watching as Charlie began to stir in the car.

"All right. Time to decide. Liz?" Michael said, turning to her.

Liz took a deep breath, and reached for Max's hand. He laced his fingers through hers and squeezed her hand tightly. A smile started to form on both their faces. "I have a plan," Liz said. Max smiled down at her.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

His head was throbbing as he awakened slowly. What the hell happened? he wondered. Then he remembered. Lizzie hit me. That bitch!

He tried to push himself up but quickly discovered he couldn't move his hands. "What the hell--?" he tried to say. But a gag in his mouth prevented him from speaking.

He opened his eyes and found himself facing three very pissed off guys, and two girls who didn't make him feel that he was any safer with them.

"So you thought you could take her and get by with it?" Alex demanded, glaring at him.

Charlie watched him, his eyes widened in horror as Alex walked around to one side of him.

"You thought you could drug her, kidnap her, and drag her into the middle of the desert to what? Rape her? Kill her?" Maria demanded, walking until she stood behind him.

Charlie was becoming very afraid.

"And with us sleeping in the same room, no less," Isabel said coldly. The look in the girl's eyes sent shivers down Charlie's spine. She moved to the other side of him, opposite Alex.

"We would never let you hurt Liz," Michael growled. "She's a part of my family, and nobody, NOBODY gets by with trying to hurt my family!" He moved a bit to the left and kept his eyes locked on Charlie.

"But now that we have you, and you can't hurt anyone, the question is, what do we do with you?" Isabel asked.

"I say we kill him," Max said darkly.

Charlie's eyes widened and he stared at Max as Max stared at him. There was no hint of humor in the young man's eyes, nothing to suggest he was kidding.

"Drive him off a cliff, cause an explosion like we did the last time," Alex said cooly.

Charlie turned to look at him. This can't be happening. Not really.

"Yeah, we burnt up Peterson so badly, they couldn't even I.D. him," Isabel said, a smile curving on her lips.

Charlie's eyes widened even more. This young woman truly frightened him.

"We could do that," Maria agreed, walking around so Charlie could see her. "Or we could chop him into one inch pieces like we did Masterson and feed him to the coyotes," she said, turning the sharp butcher knife over in her hands. She smiled as she watched the growing horror on the man's face.

Max smiled and nodded. "Or we could keep him underground at our meeting place and torture him to death."

Charlie protested through the gag.

"We take care of our family," Michael said lowly, his eyes piercing needles into Charlie's.

Charlie swallowed hard. His eyes widened as Liz walked up between Max and Michael.

"My protectors," she said, placing one of her hands on each of their shoulders. Max and Michael both smiled at her. She kissed Michael on the cheek and then turned and pulled Max's face down to hers until their lips touched. When the kiss ended, their eyes locked and they smiled at one another.

Then she turned her head and stared at her uncle, her eyes darkening. She stepped forward. "You have two choices, Charlie. Are you listening?"

He nodded quickly, his eyes remaining wide open.

"You can either leave New Mexico, and swear to me that you will never, ever come back. That you'll never contact me or my parents, or ever tell anyone about what happened out here. Or--" she motioned to Max, Michael and the others. "--I let my friends decide what to do with you."

Their eyes locked. "It's your choice, Charlie. I'm giving you a choice, even though you didn't give me one. But I have all the power now. I am in control. I can destroy you if I want to." She removed the gag from his mouth.

"Then why don't you?" he choked out.

"I don't need to. I don't have the need to hurt people like you do. I have these people as my family. They love me despite what you did to me." She felt Max interlace his fingers with hers. Michael did the same with her other hand. "I win, Charlie. I walk away with something you can never have," she said, holding up her hands, clutched tightly in her friends' hands.

Charlie stared at her for a long moment. His eyes lowered.

"Make your choice," Michael commanded.

"Or we'll do it for you," Max added, on the verge of losing control. Liz sensed it and squeezed his hand.

"I'll leave."

"And?" Max pressed, the anger edging into his voice.

"And never come back."

"If you come back, we will kill you," Isabel whispered, staring into his eyes.

His eyes widened again. "I won't come back. I swear."

"Untie him," Liz said, nodding.

Michael stepped forward and yanked the man to his feet. He untied the ropes and shoved him away.

Max grabbed Charlie from behind and leaned in to whisper in his ear, "And if you ever even think about touching her again, I will know it. And I will track you down, and I'll make sure you're not able to hurt another woman for the rest of your life. And when I'm through with you, you'll only wish I had killed you." He shoved Charlie away from him, barely able to stop himself from using his powers to make the man stop breathing.

"Get in the car and drive away," Liz commanded.

Charlie hurried to the driver's side and then stared at her. "Lizzie," he said.

She turned to look at him. "My name is Liz," she said cooly. Then she took Max's hand, and they walked back to the jeep, followed by Alex, Isabel, Michael and Maria. Liz climbed into the passenger seat and Max climbed into the driver's seat, letting go of her hand only long enough to start the engine. Then he grabbed her hand again, squeezing it tightly.

Liz looked into the rear view mirror. Charlie was staring after them. Then she arranged the mirror where she couldn't look into it. Max glanced over at her. "No more looking back," she whispered.

Max squeezed her hand again and she turned on the radio.

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"You kids sure you'll be all right by yourselves? I'd be glad to come along," Larry, the ranch owner said, gazing at the six teens in front of him.

"We'll be all right," one of the guys said, smiling at his friends. "We'll look out for each other. Right, Isabel?"

Isabel smiled back. "Right, Alex."

"You kids be careful!" he called after them. He stared as they lead the horses away by the reins. Never in his whole life had he seen six people their age so close.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Michael looked at Maria and then at the large chestnut horse. "Are you sure about this?" he asked quietly, sensing her nervousness.

"It's just a matter of trust, right?" she asked, swinging herself up onto the saddle.

He smiled as he did the same on the back of his own horse. "Right," he agreed.

They watched as Alex and Isabel swung themselves up onto their horses.

Max and Liz smiled at one another as they mounted their horses last. Liz reached out her hand and wove her fingers through Max's. They lead their horses to a trot. Liz squeezed Max's hand tightly for a moment and then let go, leading her horse to a gallop.

She felt, rather than saw the others do the same. Max's horse ran along side her own. She smiled. They all rode separately, but they were all very much together. Liz smiled as she saw the rainbow up ahead. 

The storm was over.


End file.
